Martin Brodeur is the greatest goaltender of all time. He dominated the position and owns almost every record known to the game of hockey. He’s played most of his career with the New Jersey Devils, taking them to the playoffs for decades and bringing them to five Stanley Cup Finals, winning three of them. His resume speaks for itself.
As for his front office resume, that story is still being told. Martin Brodeur the executive is just starting his career. He was hired by the St. Louis Blues after retiring, but he eventually came home to the Devils before the 2018-19 season. He first joined the business side, but he was added to the hockey operations side when Tom Fitzgerald took over as GM.
Since then, Brodeur has been making decisions on matters regarding every inch of the hockey club. He obviously assists with goaltending development, but he also consults with scouts to determine who the next draft pick will be, collaborates with the front office brain trust on roster and personnel decisions, and meets with players.
Brodeur recently spoke with Daily Faceoff to discuss his relatively new life in hockey. He had some interesting points about rising the ranks, but he made one thing clear.
Martin Brodeur doesn't want to be a GM... right now
Most people would see his current role as Executive Vice President focusing on hockey operations, and expect it to lead to a general manager position eventually, but Brodeur has other priorities right now. It’s the same reason he didn’t follow in his rival Patrick Roy’s footsteps into coaching. He enjoys balance in his life with his youngest son still in school.
"(Becoming a GM) is something I would entertain but not now. My son has three more years before he goes off to college. I’m sure I’ll want to have a little more responsibility (after that). But it’s not something I’m looking towards; I love what I’m doing right now, and I wouldn’t change it for anything... It’s not something I’m (actively) looking for, but you never know in the future."Martin Brodeur to Daily Faceoff
Brodeur is part of a powerful front office. He’s one of the top advisors for Fitzgerald, and the ownership group is not looking to get involved in hockey operations. They are given autonomy to make the decisions that they believe are best for the Devils.
With a team led by Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier, they have a great core that needs the right complementary pieces. It’s up to the front office to give it to them. Brodeur can focus on that for now, and if a GM position opens at the right time, maybe he will jump on it then. It sounds like we're still years away from that even being a consideration.