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Martin Brodeur makes Wild look like offensive juggernaut

Martin Brodeur

New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur makes a save against the Colorado Avalanche during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Denver, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

AP

How long does it take to score three goals on Martin Brodeur? For about a decade, the answer was often “More than one game.” In this case, the Minnesota Wild booted him out of the New Jersey Devils’ net by scoring three goals in just 8:17 of game time.

That’s the second shortest* start of his Hall-of-Fame career, according to the Minnesota Wild. Brodeur stopped one of the four shots he faced.

After a brief lull, this brutal outing might rev up the Brodeur career death watch once again. He came into Friday’s match against Minnesota on a two-game losing streak in which he allowed nine goals, so this makes it 12 tallies in less than seven ugly periods.

At this point, the Johan Hedberg vs. Martin Brodeur debate is getting a little ridiculous. Here’s a stat comparison between them that factors in games from before tonight’s debacle.

Hedberg: 7-4-1 record, 2.24 GAA and .920 save percentage.
Brodeur: 5-6-0 record, 3.09 GAA and .887 save percentage.

Looking at those numbers, it’s absurd to doubt Hedberg’s current superior merit. The bigger question is: should Brodeur consider hanging up his pads after this season? He owns just about every major goaltending record at this point and plenty of team-based glories, so aside from fattening up his bank account and delaying the prospect of living a normal life, there isn’t much to prove. (Even the bank account argument is subdued by the fact that his contract expires after this season.)

So, let me ask: do you think Brodeur should retire after the 2011-12 season?

* - In case you’re wondering, the shortest game was against the Carolina Hurricanes on Jan. 1, 2011. He lasted eight minutes in that one. Of course, he doesn’t have a possible New Year’s Eve party excuse to lean on tonight, though.