With the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi a year away, many are already speculating what the rosters will look like for the men’s hockey competition.
That includes Team Canada and, most specifically, the goaltending position, where names such as Carey Price, Cam Ward, Roberto Luongo, Marc-Andre Fleury, Mike Smith and Corey Crawford have been bandied about.
But what about Martin Brodeur?
“The Olympics was a great honor for me to represent the country. If I’m asked, I’ll be glad to take up the challenge,” he told the New Jersey Star-Ledger. “But there are a lot of young goalies doing well in this league who deserve the chance before I do.”
Brodeur is off to a solid start this season (6-2-2. 2.36 GAA, .908 save percentage) and backstopped the Devils to the Stanley Cup finals a year ago.
The 40-year-old netminder has also represented Canada on numerous occasions at the international level, winning two Olympic golds (2002, 2010) and the 2004 World Cup.
The X-factor would be what role Brodeur would play -- and be willing to accept -- at Sochi.
He could fill the second/third-string role and act as a veteran mentor to whomever starts, not unlike what then-37-year-old Ed Belfour did for Team Canada at the ’02 games in Salt Lake.
Whatever the case, Brodeur said he’s more than willing to represent his country once again.
“If they feel it’s me,” he said, “I’ll be there.”