Martin Brodeur will officially take his place in National Hockey League history. The New Jersey Devils goalie was playing for the first time since Feb. 21 after missing a month due to a back injury. He was just expected to stop a lot of shots during the team's game against the Carolina Hurricanes. Instead, he was credited with his third NHL goal of his career, making him the first goaltender to do so.
The Devils were on a power play when Carolina's Patrick Dwyer was hooked and broke into the New Jersey zone. Dwyer fired a shot that was stopped by Brodeur who deflected the puck to the right corner. He was the last Devils player touch the puck before the Hurricanes backpassed it into their own net on a delayed penalty in the first period. The Devils went on to win the game 4-1.
"It's a big lift for us. Marty's out starting goaltender, and he's the best of all time. It's a luxury to have him back there for a lot of different reasons, and it's nice to have him back," head coach Peter DeBoer said.
Brodeur was credited with a goal against the Philadelphia Flyers on Feb. 15, 200 and again against the Montreal Canadiens on April 17, 1997 when he shot the puck into an empty net in a playoff game. He is also the second goaltender to be credited with a power-play goal since Evgeni Nabokov of the San Jose Sharks earned one in March of 2002.
This is the 13th time in NHL history that a goaltender has been credited with a goal. Brodeur is the first to have three.
"He broke the record? It doesn't surprise me. He's the best goalie that ever player," said Devils center Travis Zajac.
He might be right. Brodeur made 17 saves in Thursday's game to earn his 665th victory of his career. He has 120 career shutout games. The 40-year old is a five-time Jennings Trophy winner and ten-time All-Star. He has spent his entire NHL career with the Devils, winnings three Stanley Cup championships and has been in the playoffs every year but two. He has also won two Olympic Gold medals with Team Canada.
