His team was the model of excellence and there is no question why Martin Brodeur was, and is, the face of the New Jersey franchise that had one of the greatest enduring runs in the annals of pro sports in these parts.
Because not only was winning all he and they did (691 times), it is all that No. 30 ever cared about while carving a place in history and in the hearts and minds of Devils fans everywhere, save percentages and fancy stats be damned.
“As a goalie, if you don’t have that as a model you’re in trouble,” Brodeur, who recorded what appears to be an unassailable NHL record of 691 victories, said before his number retirement ceremony on Tuesday preceding the Devils’ 2-1 win over the Oilers. “Who cares how many goals you give up if you don’t win?”
This was a night of celebration of the power and the glory of the franchise. There was Lou Lamoriello, The Father of Devils’ County no matter that he is the current general manager of the Maple Leafs, on the ice extolling Brodeur as “a pure, prototypical Devil.”
There was Lamoriello, who mounted the podium to the familiar cry of “LOOOOO” pulling off the one-liner of the night with his quip to the previously booed Gary Bettman, “Commissioner, that’s not the same reaction you got.”
There were Scott Stevens, Scott Niedermayer and Ken Daneyko, the troika of defensemen whose numbers had previously been raised to the rafters, celebrating with Brodeur. There was Sergei Brylin, rounding out the Fab Five of Devils who had played for the three Cup-winners in 1995, 2000 and 2003.
The ceremony was a work of art, presided over by Mike Emrick. It wasn’t necessarily flash and dash, but it was heartfelt from start to its finish approximately 45 minutes later, containing touches of emotion when Brodeur thanked his mother and his late father in his native French.
But most of all, in celebrating one of the greatest goaltenders who ever skated the face of the earth, in welcoming Brodeur back home again, this was a celebration of the Devils’ heritage and the athlete who made it most possible. It was family.
Brodeur is of the Devils. That’s forever. You wouldn’t need the number in the rafters or the statue memorializing him that will stand outside the Rock on the corner of Lafayette and Mulberry for it to be so. That is even as he works as the assistant general manager of the Blues, with whom he finished his career with a seven-game stint last year.
“When you play for the Devils, it’s in you,” Brodeur said after the celebration. “Lou ingrained that in us. All the players will tell you.
“We built something. We want this organization and the name of the Devils to have success. They expect that with the Montreal Canadiens. We expect that here in New Jersey.”
Patrik Elias, rehabbing while on long-term injured reserve and with whom Brodeur shared Cup victories in 2000 and 2003, called the goaltender, “the heart and soul of the organization.”
The fans, who did not need a solitary prompt throughout the celebration, chanted “Patty … Patty … Patty” when the winger stepped to the podium. It is Elias, No. 26, who should and must be the first forward in franchise history to have his number retired when the time comes.
“It’s up to the organization, but I think so,” said Brodeur. “Look at the reception he got. I thought for a minute it was his ceremony.”
But it was Brodeur’s night, one on which this singular athlete and personality basked in the spotlight even as he shared it with his teammates. On his way off the ice, Brodeur acknowledged the Oilers, who’d watched the festivities from their bench.
“I know as a player I appreciated watching ceremonies like this,” he said. “I think it’s important for young players to see what the history of the game is.
“It was a nice touch.”
Brodeur, of course, is synonymous with the history of the game, his name littering the record books. Nobody won more than Brodeur. Nobody had more fun doing it his way.
“Marty’s Better! Marty’s Better!” the fans chanted loudly, just as up to 200 Devils’ employees had done hours earlier in a private celebration in the team’s office.
“It was really, really special hearing that again,” he said. “This is as good as it gets.”
When the ceremony wound down, after the banner was raised to the rafters as Brodeur watched from the crease, he lifted a stick in the air and recreated the victory salute next to the statue commemorating it for all-time.
“This is it. This brings closure to my career,” he said. “It’s pretty cool to have that feeling one more time.”