Ranking Every New Jersey Devils 1st-Round Draft Pick Part 3: Success Stories
By Mike Luci
No. 1: Martin Brodeur
Goaltender
20th Overall, 1990
Remarkably, New Jersey traded back nine spots before selecting Martin Brodeur. The Calgary Flames used New Jersey’s original 11th overall pick to take goaltender Trevor Kidd, who appeared in 387 NHL games. For context, Brodeur had 691 career wins, almost twice as many games Kidd played. There isn’t much to say about Brodeur’s accolades we don’t already know. He’s the all-time winner in games played, wins, shutouts (playoffs and regular season), won three Stanley Cups, two Olympic gold medals, four Vezina Trophies, single-season victories, and has more 40-win seasons than any other goaltender.
Brodeur was successful in both the NHL’s current and pre-salary cap eras, winning two consecutive Vezinas in 2007 and 2008. He made two additional Stanley Cup Finals appearances in 2001 and 2012, respectively losing to the Colorado Avalanche in seven and Los Angeles Kings in six games. Brodeur is on a shortlist of goaltenders in the post-expansion NHL to appear in five Stanley Cup Finals, and the only goaltender (along with Marc-Andre Fleury) to achieve that feat in the last 26 seasons.
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Simply put, no player has had a more profound impact on the New Jersey Devils than Martin Brodeur. A first-ballot Hall of Famer, Brodeur’s No. 30 hangs from the Prudential Center rafters. Many of Brodeur’s records won’t be approached any time soon, and some might remain unbroken for decades. It goes without saying why Brodeur tops our rankings of every New Jersey Devils first-round pick, in addition to being the greatest player in franchise history.