Martin Brodeur is heading home.
After three years as the assistant general manager of the St. Louis Blues, one of the greatest goalies of all-time is taking a step back from hockey operations and putting his business hat on as the New Jersey Devils’ executive vice-president of business development.
He's going home! Martin Brodeur, who helped the @njdevils to three Stanley Cup titles, is returning to the franchise as an executive vice president. pic.twitter.com/S80vSZBsQE
— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) August 29, 2018
“It feels fantastic to be back home here in New Jersey,” Brodeur told the Associated Press. “This unique opportunity will allow me to build on existing relationships in the business community and take on a new challenge in my career. I’ve been able to work in all facets of the game of hockey and have had a growing interest in the business surrounding the game.”
Brodeur, who is set to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame later this year, left his post with the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday, citing that he was chasing new opportunities, although it appears he will remain a resident in the Gateway to the West.
Martin Brodeur told me several weeks ago he will keep his family in St. Louis as he takes on new role with #NJdevils. Role with New Jersey to be more focused on the biz side than the Hockey side.
— Andy Strickland (@andystrickland) August 28, 2018
“I have a ton of respect for Marty in that he felt at this point in his life with his son, Max, he wanted to spend a little bit more time at home,” Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said. “When you look at the hours an assistant manager has to put in, even in the summer preparing, Marty felt he needed to prioritize his family coming from playing and jumping right into management. He hasn’t had any time off. I certainly understand that. We wish Marty nothing but the best as he moves forward. When he does want to get back in the management role in hockey, his future will take him wherever he wants to go.”
With recent experience working in a hockey ops role with Team Canada, it will be interesting to see where Brodeur goes with this new role. He’s a three-time Stanley Cup winner with enough goaltending records to have his own book.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see Brodeur back on the hockey side of the game in the future, but you can’t blame him for wanting to watch his kids grow up.
Scott Billeck is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @scottbilleck