"MAR-TY'S BET-TER!"
Those four syllables have resonated throughout the stands of nearly every New Jersey Devils game for more than 15 years — fans offering of appreciation and worship to one of the greatest goaltenders in the game's history.
Already the winningest NHL goalie ever and owner of the most minutes played by a goalie, Devils' netminder Martin Brodeur blanked the Buffalo Sabres on Monday to record his 103rd career shutout, which tied him for the most all-time with Terry Sawchuk, as the Devils topped the Sabres 3-0.
"I just look behind me and there's nobody close, and that's pretty impressive to see so many shutouts," Brodeur told the Versus network. "But I think it's just a lot of credit to the organization I've been playing [with] all my career."
Among active goaltenders, the Detroit Red Wings' Chris Osgood has the second-most shutouts with 50, but at 37-years old — the same age as Brodeur — he doesn't pose much of a threat to the latter's mark.
The record-tying shutout was a long time in the making. Brodeur posted the first shutout of his career on Oct. 20, 1993, and the 102nd on Oct. 17 of this year. Since that blanking of the Carolina Hurricanes nearly two months ago, Brodeur has carried a shutout into the last period three times in 17 games played.
But until Monday, he was unable to seal the deal, so he and his fans were notably anxious when he was perfect through two periods with 12 saves, thinking that this might finally be the one. With 10 saves in the final stanza, number 103 was finally his.
"It doesn't matter how you feel," Brodeur said at New Jersey's Prudential Center on Tuesday. "The bounces around you [are] everywhere, and you're vulnerable to referee calls and non-calls.
"You have to play the game the way it is played, and I think you stay focused and good things will happen. It's all about winning. If you have it in your mind that you want to win this game and you're doing everything to win, the next thing you know, you'll have a shutout opportunity."
Brodeur's illustrious career of began in 1993, his first year as New Jersey's full-time starter. In the 15 years since, Brodeur has started in no fewer than 47 games in any season besides 2008-09, when he was sidelined with a torn left biceps tendon, the first major injury of his career.
In a decade and half between the pipes, Brodeur has amassed simply staggering numbers. His 575 career wins, 60,583 minutes played and seven 40-plus win seasons are all high marks for NHL goaltenders' all-time. That's not to mention his three Stanley Cup titles, 23 postseason shutouts — tied for the most ever with Patrick Roy — and his two goals scored.
"I think it's a bar that I put for goalies," Brodeur said of his recent achievement after the game. "People in the past put bars for goalies to excel, and I've reached them. Hopefully I'll raise 'em up and good for the guy that's going to go after them.
I've been having a pretty good ride. It's been pretty tremendous what we've accomplished here in New Jersey and for myself, so for any goalie to get to the wins and shutout records, it means they're going to be real successful. All the power to them if they're able to get there."
One of the most remarkable aspects of Brodeur's achievements is that they have all come with the same club. Brodeur was drafted in the first round, 20th overall, by the Devils in 1990 and went on to become the face of the franchise for over a decade. The 60,583 minutes of ice time that he has compiled in his tenure with the team are under 7,000 fewer than all 25 of the other netminders in New Jersey history combined.
By contrast, Roy, thought of by many as the greatest goaltender ever, set his marks with two teams, and Sawchuk bounced around between five different clubs in his career. The name Brodeur, though, has become synonymous with the Devils franchise.
Brodeur played in no fewer than 70 games in every season from the 1997-98 campaign through the 2007-08 season. When he was injured early last season and it was announced that he would need to be replaced for a few months while he recuperated, panic ensued.
Back between the pipes this season, Brodeur has backstopped the Devils to their best-ever start through 28 games (20-7-1), and the win over Buffalo pulled New Jersey into a tie with Stanley Cup champions Pittsburgh for first place in the Atlantic Division.
With the exception of the lockout year in 2004-05, the Devils have qualified for the playoffs every year since the 1995-96 season. As the squad focuses on extending that streak — one that has unsurprisingly coincided with Brodeur's prime — Marty will undoubtedly continue to pile up the records.
Next on his list: Roy's mark of 1,029 games played. Brodeur's just four away.
