The sounds of pucks clanging against the boards began a little before noon when the Eastern Conference champion New Jersey Devils skated beneath huge white banners that read “STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS 1994-95, STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS 1999-2000, STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS 2002-2003” on Memorial Day, when the Rangers were packing up, saying goodbye and making their tee times. Par for the course.
For Marty Brodeur, aka The Greatest, 1994 had never been so distant in his rear-view mirror. He stands four victories away from his fourth Stanley Cup, and even if he is fortunate enough or magical enough to hoist it at the end of the finals that begin tomorrow night against the Kings, he’ll save the retirement talk for another day, when maybe he isn’t having the fun he is now, this precious time when he gets to act like a kid some more and feels forever young instead of 40.
Brodeur was asked about what he remembers about his first Stanley Cup final 17 springs ago against the Red Wings and he said: “It’s the greatest moment in your life. I think when you’re young sometimes you’re innocent about these things, you just kinda roll with the punches. … In your prime of your career, you know what’s at stake so it’s a little harder to get it done sometimes pressure-wise, and when you get older you’re just enjoying yourself again,” he said with a chuckle.
So barring a change of heart, Brodeur will be standing between the Rangers and the Cup in 2013, standing at the Garden blocking out that “Mar-ty, Mar-ty, Mar-ty,” chorus.
He laughed out loud when someone volunteered Dominik Hasek was pondering a comeback at age 47.
“How nice is that? That gives me seven years!” he said, then laughed.
Then he added: “You know what? I think it’s beautiful that he’s still got a passion of thinking about coming back. He’s been great, he’s been great when he was older also. But it doesn’t really change my thought process about my own career, that’s for sure.”
If 2012 had ended the way 2011 did, Brodeur likely would have called it a Hall of Fame career. But there will be no riding off into the sunset now.
“I know a lot of people who say, ‘Well, it’s fun to retire on top,’ or whatever, but at the end of the day, when I’m gonna say, ‘It’s over,’ it’s gonna be over, I’m not gonna come back, and that’s gonna be it.
“I want to make sure I made the right decision, and right now I’m leaning on coming back, but we’ll see.”
Andy Pettitte missed the camaraderie, still had more to give, and was lucky enough the Yankees wanted him back. The Junior Seau tragedy serves as a stark reminder that everything changes once the cheering stops.
“I really thought this was gonna be my last year,” Brodeur said, “and more and more, it was like, ‘Wow, hockey’s still fun.’ ”
He gets to play for arguably the best general manager in professional sports, Lou Lamoriello, and a bright, young coach, Pete DeBoer, who let the players sleep in their own beds during the playoffs, and he has a damn good team in front of him.
“It’s like the Devil Fever now,” Brodeur said.
He is the one who is The Rock at the Rock. He is the one who is rested and ready for more history. He is the one who is a sounding board on media etiquette for his teammates. He is the one who pitched three shutouts in his last Cup final against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim — including the decisive Game 7.
“I don’t put extra pressure on me, especially now, I think this is fun,” Brodeur said. “I’m really enjoying the moment probably more than in the past.”
So it should not surprise you that he watched “The Dictator” at home Sunday.
“When you’re on a hockey team and you’re part of something great, I think ages, experience, nationalities,” Brodeur said, “everything goes out the window.”
And still, hardly anything goes into the net. His counterpart this time is Jonathan Quick.
“He’s really athletic,” Brodeur said. “He’s not a typical butterfly goalie like you see [Henrik] Lundqvist or [Ilya] Bryzgalov or other goalies. He’s got his own style of play. He’s pretty impressive.”
And the unflappable Brodeur? He’s pretty impressive after all these years. “Marty’s best performances during the playoffs this year have been at the most key times,” DeBoer said.
Mariano Rivera won his fifth championship just before his 40th birthday. Brodeur plans on tying his idol, Patrick Roy, with his fourth championship now and chasing his fifth just after his 41st.