Devils’ goalie breaks NHL shutout record

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Devils’ goalie breaks NHL shutout record

PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania - New Jersey goaltender Martin Brodeur set an all-time National Hockey League record Monday with his 104th career shutout, a 4-0 victory over defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh.

The 37-year-old Canadian netminder made 35 saves to break the old mark he shared with 1950s and 1960s legend Terry Sawchuk, who had held the record alone for 45 years until Brodeur matched him two weeks ago.

“This record was held for so long. When you do break records and see how long they lasted, it’s cool,” Brodeur said. “Tying it was amazing and surpassing him, was a great honor for me to be in that position.”

Two games after Brodeur surpassed Patrick Roy for the most games played by a goaltender in NHL history, the Devils’ goaltender claimed another coveted mark in his 1,032nd career game, all in his 16-year Devils career.

“It’s great, but I wasn’t focusing on it,” Brodeur said. “I’m definitely happy it’s passed and we can just go play and I don’t have to answer the questions about it.”

Brodeur, making his case to be considered the NHL’s greatest goalie, is the all-time leader in career wins with 580, including a mark of 23-8 with one overtime loss this season, and has led the Devils to three Stanley Cup titles.

“All the winning he’s done, the shutouts, the Cups - it’s unbelievable,” New Jersey’s Zach Parise said. “When it got down to 10 minutes, five minutes, everybody is thinking about [the record]. We’re on the ice when a lot of these records are happening and it’s fun.”

No other active goaltender in career NHL wins rates in the 20 behind Brodeur, who gave the Devils the NHL’s best record this season by stopping the club they had shared that distinction with.

“It’s pretty incredible. The records are piling up,” Penguins star Sidney Crosby said of Brodeur. “He’s a legendary goalie and he proves it every year.”

The Devils, a league-best 13-2-1 away from home, put together a solid team effort to deny the Penguins a goal on a night when Brodeur was unusually nervous.

“Surpassing a record definitely becomes a little nerve-racking,” Brodeur said. “I don’t get nervous, but I was a little nervous. It was like a good playoff game, everybody was trying to get the puck out and blocking shots and definitely it was a great effort by my teammates for me to break it.”

New Jersey’s Patrik Elias scored his fourth goal in five games in the second period. Bryce Salvador scored in the first period and Niclas Bergfors, Elias and Mark Fraser scored in the second for the Devils. AFP
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