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Former Martin Brodeur teammate throws shade his way in GOAT goalie debate

Former goalie Cory Schneider started his New Jersey Devils career as a backup to Martin Brodeur. Now, a decade later, he's throwing shade with where he puts him on the list of greatest goalies of all time.
ByNick Villano|
New Jersey Devils goalie Cory Schneider (35) speaks with goalie Martin Brodeur (30). Mandatory Credit: Bruce Fedyck-Imagn Images
New Jersey Devils goalie Cory Schneider (35) speaks with goalie Martin Brodeur (30). Mandatory Credit: Bruce Fedyck-Imagn Images | Bruce Fedyck-Imagn Images

Some sports debates will never end. The best NFL quarterback of all time will go in circles as new greats enter the conversation and Tom Brady continues to be a major part of the national lexicon. The Jordan-LeBron debate is only going to intensify as James approaches the end of his legacy. However, the one that continues to get brought up despite the candidates being long retired is the debate for greatest goaltender of all time.


Recently, there have been some really great goalies. Marc-Andre Fleury just laced up his skates for the final time, calling it a career with the second-most wins in NHL history. Jonathan Quick has a few Stanley Cup rings in his mantle, and Henrik Lundqvist might be the best goalie ever who didn’t get one of those. 

But none of them are brought up in the debate for the best of all time. The GOAT debate often comes down to three: Martin Brodeur, Dominik Hasek, and Patrick Roy. All three have their own hold on the debate. Hasek has the most Vezina Trophies in his career with six. Roy has the most Stanley Cups with four. Brodeur has the most wins, shutouts, saves and so many other records. 

The debate is constant fodder for offseason conversations, and NHL Network talks about it all the time. Now that they employee multiple former teammates of all three players, this debate comes up a lot. However, nobody ever had the perspective of Cory Schneider.

Schneider was the player who replaced Brodeur. Lou Lamoriello traded a top-10 draft pick for Schneider while Brodeur was still the starter. 

The situation was… interesting. Devils fans rejoiced, as recent goaltending draft picks did not work out and the contingency plan was not in place prior to the trade. However, there had to be some hard feelings.

Fast forward to 2025, and Schneider is one of the main analysts on NHL Network. They asked him that age-old question of the best goalies of all time. His list did not have Brodeur at the top.

This is a fine opinion to have, we suppose. Ironically, he didn’t have his other all-time great teammate, Roberto Luongo, on the list at all. However, it’s interesting that, even after seeing the man firsthand, Brodeur wasn’t at the top of his list. 

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