by Martin Brodeur was named executive vice president of hockey operations for the New Jersey Devils on Thursday. The Hall of Fame goaltender signed a multi-year deal to remain with the team.
Brodeur has served as executive vice president/adviser to general manager Tom Fitzgerald in the hockey operations division since January 12, 2020, while also serving as the liaison to the operations side of the team. His new role will allow him to focus on hockey operations full-time.
“I’m definitely happy about the chance that Tom is giving me here,” said Brodeur. “Obviously I’ve been working with him for some time, but more in an official capacity now. With the history I have with this franchise I look forward to being a part of the years to come and finding some success here and there to return to where the Devils should be, a successful franchise. We are on the way there. Not there yet, but these are exciting times.
Brodeur said he was initially undecided about returning to hockey full-time after returning to the Devils in 2018 after a three-year stint in the front office of the St. Louis Blues. But a nudge from his youngest son, 13-year-old Max, helped him do it.
“When I came back to New Jersey, my little one was 9 or 8 years old,” Brodeur said. “Now he’s getting older, he’s so invested in hockey, and he wants me to do that. I was reluctant to do it again after my three years in St. Louis to get back into hockey full-time. Now it just feels like the right time. I’ve been on the team for two years on the hockey side and I just see a lot of growth. I love what’s going on with the way the hockey operation is set up. I want to be part of the solution, just being there. I think the time was perfect for me.”
Brodeur’s new role will include scouting, player development and recruitment, personnel decisions, squad management and overseeing the Devils’ goaltender development department.
Unsurprisingly, he is particularly passionate about the goalie development department.
“It’s something I talked about a lot with (general manager) Doug Armstrong when I was with the Blues, and we never got it together,” Brodeur said. “When I joined the hockey team a few years ago, I mentioned to ‘Fitzy’ that I think this should be something that should be really important to the organization. It’s tough. They go through the free agency market and overpay for people. “You have to let them grow internally. Having a department that only caters to goalkeepers was an important part. … It may not be paying off at the moment , but later it will be a major factor in why we might have it.” a leg on different teams.”
Fitzgerald said Brodeur was “a tremendous resource” during his time as GM of the Devils because of his experience and the connections he has in the hockey world.
“It makes sense to formalize and clarify his roles and responsibilities within the organization,” Fitzgerald said. “I’m pleased that he has committed to staying with us as we all work to bring New Jersey back to the level of success that Marty has achieved here as a player.”
The Devils go on a seven-game winning streak against the Ottawa Senators at the Prudential Center on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; MSGSN2, TSN5, RDS, ESPN+, SN NOW). New Jersey, which has made the Stanley Cup Playoffs once in the past 10 seasons and hasn’t won a series since 2011-12, sits first in the Metropolitan Division, 10-3-0.
Current players are certainly on board, with Brodeur taking on a full-time role on the hockey side.
“He’s always been great for this organization and it helps to have him around,” captain Nico Hischier said. “He knows exactly what it takes to win and he definitely makes a great contribution and it’s great to have him here with the Devils.”
The 50-year-old former goaltender returned to the Devils on August 29, 2018 as executive vice president of business development, a role he held well into the 2019-20 season. He was previously an assistant general manager with the Blues.
“Even though I still live in St. Louis, Jersey still plays a big part in my life,” Brodeur said. “My kids grew up watching hockey here. I grew up playing pro in New Jersey. When we talk about hockey, it’s all about New Jersey. There’s nothing better.”
Brodeur was drafted No. 20 by the Devils in the 1990 NHL Draft and helped New Jersey win three Stanley Cup championships in his 21 seasons with the Devils (1995, 2000, 2003). New Jersey also reached the Stanley Cup Finals in 2001 and 2012 with Brodeur in the net. He played seven games for the Blues in 2014-15, his final NHL season.
Brodeur retired as the NHL all-time leader in wins (691), games played (1,266), shutouts (125), 40-win seasons (eight), and 30-win seasons (13). He was also 113-91 with a 2.02 goal average, .919 save percentage and an NHL-record 24 shutouts in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Brodeur won the Vezina Trophy four times (2003, 2004, 2007, 2008), which was voted the best goaltender in the NHL.
His No. 30 was retired by the Devils on February 9, 2016, when the team also unveiled a statue in his honor in front of the Prudential Center.
Brodeur was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 12, 2018.
“I left St. Louis in 2018 and they won the Stanley Cup [in 2019]so I wasn’t happy,” Brodeur said. “I pulled the trigger too fast there in St. Louis, so I can’t wait to try and win a Stanley Cup here with the Devils again.”
NHL.com contributor Mike G. Morreale contributed to this story.
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