Goalie Martin Brodeur earned his record-breaking 552nd career win (formerly held by Patrick Roy) Wednesday night the Devils topped the Blackhawks in New Jersey. But some are already questioning the legitimacy of Brodeur’s record.
Like Maris’ mark, Brodeur’s record comes with a statistical debate. Brodeur has 27 shootout victories, to none for Roy, who retired before the NHL instituted shootouts.
That gives Brodeur a boost of extra victories, due to modern rules. Few doubt, however, that Brodeur at age 36 will go on to win far more games in the future, perhaps another 100 or so.
The discussion on merit is more compelling. The Devils, after all, play a systematically defensive game in front of Brodeur. Roy didn’t have it quite as safe in Montreal. Hasek, meanwhile, posted a .922 save percentage, eight points higher than Brodeur’s.
Brodeur offers his own defense, indirectly.
“If you control rebounds, you cut down eight-to-10 shots a game,” he said. “That’s the way I manage the game.”
He managed just fine again Tuesday night, setting a record that really matters.
One of the best and worst things about statistics in sports is that everything is left up for debate. It can be fun to debate legendary sports stats, but it can also be nauseating.
The bottom line is that Brodeur is one of the finest goalies ever to play the game of hockey. Let him enjoy his moment before we start dissecting every little detail that comes with his record-breaking honor.
