Pucks and Pitchforks
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New Jersey Devils: Comparing Martin Brodeur To Other Best Goalies Of All Time

By Nick Villano

NEWARK, NJ - APRIL 11: Martin Brodeur #30 of the New Jersey Devils takes a break during the third period against the New York Islanders at the Prudential Center on April 11, 2014 in Newark, New Jersey. The Islanders defeated the Devils 3-2 in the shootout. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEWARK, NJ - APRIL 11: Martin Brodeur #30 of the New Jersey Devils takes a break during the third period against the New York Islanders at the Prudential Center on April 11, 2014 in Newark, New Jersey. The Islanders defeated the Devils 3-2 in the shootout. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Bruce Bennett Studios via Getty Images Studios/Getty Images)
(Photo by Bruce Bennett Studios via Getty Images Studios/Getty Images) /

Jacques Plante

It is always near impossible to compare athletes across eras, but we will always try. Is Bill Russell better than LeBron James or Michael Jordan? So hard to tell when Russell was playing against people with the athletic composition of me (which is, comfortably soft), but his dominance can’t be ignored.

Plante might have played during a time when hockey wasn’t at its peak athletically, but he innovated the game in a way not even the trapezoid could compare with. He was the first goalie to really push for masks, which also brought us the mask eventually worn by Jason Voorhees. So, Plante gave us two great things in one!

Getting serious now, Plante won more Vezina Trophies than anyone in history with an astounding seven. He lasted longer than Brodeur, playing until he was 46 years old (although he did retire a Brett Favre level three times from hockey). He had a .944 save percentage as a 42 years old. He started in 1952 and ended his career in 1975. This is an insane level of longevity, even if injuries really put a damper on the end of his career.

However, it’s hard to argue that Brodeur had to go through a tougher road to win Cups. Plante needed to win eight games to lift Lord Stanley. Brodeur had to win 16. Plante had to play in 70 games just once, because the schedule was just plain shorter. Brodeur played at least 70 games for ten seasons in a row.

Plante is amazing, but Brodeur took on the likes of Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, Sidney Crosby and Mark Messier. He’s faced some of the best of all time. Plante did play against Gordie Howe, so that’s definitely a must-see matchup, but the amount of talent in the NHL was not where it was in the 90s and 2000s. Brodeur also had to play across two eras, which plays right up with Plante who gets points for playing pre-mask and post mask. It’s an interesting debate, but Brodeur’s ability to take a team on his back for years on end gives him the slight edge. It’s not a fair debate, like we said it’s hard to compare eras.

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