Veteran goaltender Martin Brodeur officially announced his retirement Thursday after spending 22 years in the NHL and cementing his legacy as arguably the best goaltender to ever suit up and defend the net.
Brodeur is the winningest goaltender in NHL history and spent most of his career with the New Jersey Devils after being drafted by them with the 20th overall pick in the 1990 NHL Draft.
After being phased out in New Jersey last season, Brodeur joined the St. Louis Blues earlier this year, but as his role diminished there he took some time to contemplate his future.
Brodeur announced at a press conference Thursday that he's hanging up his skates and will now be a senior advisor for the Blues.
"This is a great day for me," Brodeur said at the press conference, according to NHL.com. "... This is something I've been thinking about for a long time. This is a great opportunity that the St. Louis Blues organization, [owner] Tom Stillman and Doug Armstrong are giving me and trusting me in doing. ... This is going to be a great challenge for me."
With Brodeur calling it an on-ice career, here's a look at five of his greatest moments in the crease.
5) Dazzling Debut: Brodeur notched the first victory in a career that would prove to be full of them when he helped the Devils defeat the Boston Bruins on March 26, 1992. Brodeur was solid in his debut, which saw the Devils top the Blackhawks 4-2.
4) Vezina Greatness: Brodeur won his first Vezina Trophy as the NHL's best goaltender in 2003 and would go on to win the award three more times in his career, taking home the hardware in 2004, 2007 and 2008. When he first won the award in 2003, he was coming off of a season where he notched an NHL-best 41 wins while adding a 2.02 goals-against average and .914 save percentage.
3) Passing Roy: Brodeur surpassed Patrick Roy to become the all-time winningest goaltender when he notched his 552nd victory against the Chicago Blackhawks on St. Patrick's Day in 2009. Brodeur set the record at age 36 as the Devils defeated the Blackhawks 3-2 at The Prudential Center in his 16th NHL season and 987h game. Brodeur made 30 saves in the triumph and went on to win 688 games in his career.
2) Olympic Gold: Brodeur won the Olympic gold medal as Canada's goalie twice in his career, with the first coming in 2002 and then he accomplished the feat again in 2010. In the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, the Montreal, Quebec native helped his country break a 50-year gold medal drought.
1) Three-time Stanley Cup Champion: Brodeur won the richest prize in the sport three times in his illustrious career. The first came in 1995 when Brodeur backstopped the Devils to a sweep of the Detroit Red Wings to earn his first taste of the Stanley Cup. Five years later, he'd win the Stanley Cup again when the Devils defeated the Dallas Stars in six games in 2000. Brodeur became a three-time champion in 2003 when the Devils topped the Anaheim Ducks in seven games with Brodeur notching a shutout in the decisive Game 7.
It's been a heck of a career for Brodeur, but he is now ready to start a new chapter off the ice.
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