February 9, 2016 is the day that Martin Brodeur, the greatest goaltender of all-time (it's true people, don't roll your eyes), received one of the highest honors a member of a franchise can receive - getting their (his) number retired.
The New Jersey Devils, team Martin Brodeur played for most of his career (a few games as a St. Louis Blue), have three members of the retired numbers club already: Scott Stevens (4), Ken Daneyko (3), and Scott Niedermayer (27).
1990-2014 were the years Martin Brodeur was in the Devils organization (drafted in 1990) and played in the NHL leading her to hold a lot (most) of NHL's goaltending records which you can find here and he also holds more than 30 franchise records.
He's also won many awards over the years: All-Rookie Team, All-Star Game, Calder Memorial Trophy, First All-Star Team, Second All-Star Team, Stanley Cup, Vezina Trophy, and Williams M. Jennings Trophy. Most of these, he won multiple times.
So for these reasons and the type of person Brodeur is, he deserved this incredible honor that he was getting. These four players were what made the Devils great and all deserve having their numbers retired.
Well for February 9th will forever be a part of Devils' history and I was happy that I had the opportunity to witness this ceremony in person. Someone who my Dad knows got us tickets to go and it was one of the best nights ever!!
I mean, my all-time favorite Devils player came back to New Jersey and a few of my other all-time favorites were in the building (Stevens and Niedermayer being two of them). The atmosphere was electrifying with a lot of nostalgic.
Want to see why he's so important to the Devils, NHL, fans, and his friends/teammates? Watch this video of "A Salute to Martin Brodeur," a video that was played at one point during the ceremony.
Credit: New Jersey Devils, NHL, players of NHL, and
those who were involved with the making of video.
During the whole event, there were cheers of "Marty! Marty! Marty!" and "Marty's Better" which really of course he's better - he's the best of the league. Just look at those records that may never be broken, no matter how many players try.
There was so much that can be said about the ceremony. From who was in attendance: Mike "Doc" Emerick; Martin Brodeur's former coaches: Jacque Lemaire, wife of the late Pat Burns, Jacques Caron; former general manager Lou Lamoriello; the three other number retirees: Scott Stevens, Ken Daneyko, and Scott Niedermayer; NHL's commissioner Gary Bettman; and the New Jersey Devils' executives, owners, and general manager: Joshua Harris, David Blitzer, Marc Leder, Michael Rubin, Ray Shero, Scott O'neil, and Hugh Weber; current Devils' team; and Brodeur's family.
It was a great ceremony and it was a job well done by the Devils giving Martin Brodeur the ceremony he deserves. You can check out my pictures I took from the event (as well as pictures from the Devils vs. Oilers game):
Had an awesome time last night at the Martin Brodeur's Jersey Retirement Night. It was a night where we got to celebrate...
Posted by Caitlin Goerlich on Wednesday, February 10, 2016
I have to gone to many Devils games over the years (since I was five years old) but none of them can possibly beat this one as this was my first celebration game and it was definitely a celebration as again, the atmosphere was electrifying and the current Devils won their game.
Cory Schneider played very well and what do you know? My all-time favorite players were in the building and then my favorite of the current Devils, Adam Henrique, scored the first goal!
It was definitely a night to remember and I will. There were many moments: the videos; Doc being the mast of ceremonies; funny memories of Brodeur from his teammates, coaches, and GM; Lou Lamoriello owning the Commissioner; Marty's speech; and then watching his number raise to the rafters.
Martin Brodeur's Jersey Being Raised
Here's a video of Martin Brodeur's jersey being raised to join his three friends. And at the end, he says good bye :/ #SaluteMB30
Posted by Caitlin Goerlich on Wednesday, February 10, 2016
Again, it was a great night and if you didn't get a chance to watch - I'm sure you can find the video somewhere online (or MSG might re-air it). I recommend you to watch it whether you were a Devils fan or not. It's to celebrate one of the greats (the best goaltender - again don't roll your eyes at me).
Let me know what you thought of the ceremony. Are you happy that he finally got the ceremony he deserved? What was your favorite part of the evening? What is your favorite Martin Brodeur memory?
Until Next Time
CGoerlich <3
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