PITTSBURGH — Games, victories, shutouts. Now those records are all Martin Brodeur’s and his alone.
This one, he said, was different, this 104th shutout that set the NHL record, the one that could have disappeared with one shot, even Evgeni Malkin’s with 42 seconds left.
“I don’t get nervous, but tonight I was a little nervous,” Brodeur admitted after breaking the record Terry Sawchuk held for 39 Years.
“When you look at some records and see how long they’ve lasted, it’s pretty amazing,” Brodeur said after adding to his greatest-ever goaltending credentials last night.
In a showdown of the NHL’s leaders, he responded to being yanked Saturday with his record-breaking game, blanking the offensive powerhouse and reigning Stanley Cup champion Penguins 4-0 in their own building last night.
“They made me work for it. I had a little luck, and every goalie should have that,” Brodeur said.
While skeptics will contend that Brodeur’s records are fed by the defense-first philosophy of the Devils, his captain responded emphatically.
“Wayne Gretzky played on an offensive juggernaut. Is Wayne Gretzky any less of a player because of that?” Jamie Langenbrunner said.
“Like I said when I handed him the puck, it’s been an honor playing with him, and it’s good to be a part of history,” Langenbrunner said.
Almost lost in the record-setting was the Devils’ 26th victory in 33 games, lifting them to 53 points in 35 games, two ahead of No. 2 Pittsburgh with two games in hand. They hold a .757 point percentage, far ahead of Chicago’s .721.
“Beautiful. Merry Christmas,” Jacques Lemaire said.
Brodeur, the four-time Vezina Trophy winner, broke Patrick Roy’s record for career victories last season, now at 580, and on Friday, Roy’s record for games played by a goalie, now 1,032. He also broke Roy’s career minutes-played record Nov. 27, now 60,963. In addition, Brodeur is the record-holder for regular-season overtime victories and shootout triumphs (33).
Brodeur owns the records of seven 40-victory seasons (no other goalie has more than three) 11 35-victory seasons (no eights) and 12 straight 30-victory seasons (no nines), which ended last season when he missed 50 games from biceps surgery. He trails Roy’s 13 overall 30-victory seasons by one.
It was Brodeur’s seventh attempt to break the shutout record he tied Dec. 7 in Buffalo. He shook off being pulled in Saturday’s 5-4 victory in Atlanta. He simultaneously made a statement about his primacy for the Canadian Olympic goaltending job over Pittburgh’s Marc-Andre Fleury, who was pulled after giving up four last night.
The Penguins outshot the Devils 10-5 in the first, but New Jersey took the lead on Bryce Salvador’s second of the season, on New Jersey’s first shot of the night.
The Devils doubled their lead on their first shot of the second period on Niclas Bergfors’ 12th of the season.
Patrik Elias and Mark Fraser put the game away and sent Fleury to the bench, leaving only Brodeur’s record bid in question. Sidney Crosby had him dead with 1:42 left, but Brodeur thwarted him. And he turned Malkin away in the final minute, ending the chase.