Despite being the NHL’s all-time leader in regular season wins and second in playoff wins, there is a rather hearty contingent that discounts Martin Brodeur’s status as a top-5 goaltender in NHL history, let alone a candidate to the GOAT goalie throne. The argument goes something like, “Brodeur was a product of a brilliant defensive system in New Jersey. There are many goaltenders who could’ve done the same.” This is an interesting take given that Brodeur won at least 40 games for seven different coaches, and played for 22 seasons. No other goalie has won 40+ games more than three times, ever. That’s quite the heavy lifting by a “system.” Surely, that system would have been copied all around the league, leading to the greatest statistical goalie careers in history? Oh, wait, it was just Brodeur? Hmm. Nevertheless, Brodeur was a fantastic netminder, and he is a legitimate candidate to the goalie throne. It is quite likely that the three greatest goaltenders in NHL history are–in alphabetical order–Brodeur, Dominik Hasek, and Patrick Roy. With all due respect to the Original Six OG goalies, the competition level at that time wasn’t remotely close to what it is in a robust, 30 team league with a fully globalized pool of international talent.
Adjusted for competition level, Brodeur, Hasek, and Roy are the Holy Trinity of NHL goaltenders. Ordering them based on merit is not an easy task. Depending on what specific elements we choose to emphasize, the ordering can change drastically. For instance, Dominik Hasek had the greatest goaltender peak in NHL history. If we order the three based on peak, then Hasek gets the nod. We have to be careful, though, because if we’re talking about peak only, then we need to bring Bernie Parent and Tim Thomas into the conversation, which is, of course, an unintended consequence of focusing solely on peak. If we emphasize longevity and playoff success, then Hasek is at the back of the line. When comparing elite resumes, it makes the most sense to look for a healthy balance between longevity, playoff success, and peak. Roy–the only player in NHL history to win three Conn Smythe Trophies, and the goalie with the most 30-win seasons in league history–seems to have the healthiest balance of all three factors. Despite not having the peak seasons that Hasek had, Brodeur played 531 more games than Hasek, and did so at an elite level. Brodeur wins in a massive landslide over Hasek in longevity, while also coming out ahead in playoff success. Hasek, for his part, has a decided advantage over Brodeur in peak performance.
Even though all three have legitimate GOAT claims, the gap between Roy and Brodeur seems to be smaller than the gap between Brodeur and Hasek. In fact, shoddy Conn Smythe voting might be the only thing keeping Roy ahead of Brodeur. Brodeur was worthy of the Vezina Trophy in each of New Jersey’s three Stanley Cup wins. He set the single-season playoff record for shutouts in 2003 (7) to go with a stellar .934 save percentage and a 1.65 goals against average. He led the 2000 playoffs with a microscopic 1.61 goals against average, and led the playoffs with three shutouts and a .927 save percentage in 1995. In a twist of irony, Brodeur, for all his brilliance, was shut out of the Conn Smythe all three times. Even just one Smythe could’ve added a little more clarity to this pretzeled trio of resumes. Still, Brodeur is unquestionably among the top three goaltenders in the modern era, and he has the resume to prove it.
Brodeur’s Resume
1). Most top-2 finishes in Vezina Trophy voting (7).
2). Most top-3 finishes in Vezina Trophy voting (9).
3). Most top-4 finishes in Vezina Trophy voting (11). Nobody else has more than 8.
4). Most top-5 finishes in Vezina Trophy voting (13). Nobody else has more than 10.
5). Most top-5 finishes in Hart Trophy voting (7) among goaltenders.
6). Led the NHL in wins 9 times. Nobody else has done it more than 6 times.
7). Most 40-win seasons in NHL history (8). Nobody else has more than 3.
8). Won 40+ games for seven different coaches. Again, nobody else did it more than 3 times.
Editor’s note: This is my favorite Brodeur stat.
9). Most wins in NHL history (691). Nobody else is within 100, and only two are within 200.
10). 2nd most wins in playoff history (113).
11). Most regular-season shutouts in NHL history (125). Nobody since 1952 is within 40.
12). Most games played in history by 216 (!!!) and still has the 3rd highest winning percentage of any goaltender with at least 600 games played.
13). Only goalie in history to win four Vezina Trophies* and three Stanley Cups
*Since current Vezina voting rules began in 1981.