New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur hasn’t ruled out the possibility of playing beyond this season, but if he does retire, it will mark the end of one of the greatest careers in NHL history. So what will the Devils and the teams he visits do if he announces his decision to hang up his skates before the season is over?
Very little, Brodeur hopes. As great as the farewell tour for New York Yankees pitcher Mariano Rivera was, he doesn’t want something like that for himself.
“One thing I hated was disturbing everything for my teammates when I was chasing records and stuff,” Brodeur told the Star-Ledger.
“Hockey is a lot different than other sports, like baseball, which tends to do that. They’ve done it in hockey, but especially for a goalie concentration is so important.”
Brodeur added that his concentration and preparation have only become more critical as he gets older. The 41-year-old doesn’t want festivities honoring him to get in the way of his or the Devils’ performance.
“That’s not me,” he said.
In the meantime, he’ll keep playing and while he might be well past his prime, he’s still contributing with a 7-7-2 record, 2.25 GAA, and .906 save percentage in 16 contests this season.