Brodeur slam-dunk Hall of Famer

Prolific goalie all-time leader in wins, shutouts

When Hockey Hall of Fame chairman L a nny McDonald had finished contacting Teemu Selanne and t he other deserving inductees of the Class of 2017, maybe he should have gone through the electronic Rolodex in his phone to locate the number of Martin Brodeur.

Because a year from now, he’s certainly going to need it.

There are very few slam dunks when i t comes to Hall of Fame candidates. Wayne Gretzky was one. Mario Lemieux, too. Patrick Roy, Nicklas Lidstrom and Dominik Hasek are also on that list as well as Jaromir Jagr, although the way he’s going, he might still be playing long after you and I have left this earth.

These are t he game’s legends, the elite players not just of their generations but of all generations.

And t hat’s why, when comparing 2017 and 2018, it will be a Tale of Two Hall of Fame Classes.

Put it this way: Teemu Selanne was one of the greats of his time.

Martin Brodeur, meanwhile, was one the of the greats of all time.

As such, i n about 365 days, it will be Brodeur, in his first year of eligibility, that McDonald will be welcoming into the Hall. They might as well start writing the press release now. When you are dealing with a player who has the most goalie wins and shutouts in NHL history, it’s not premature to do that.

Of course, when we mention to Brodeur on Monday afternoon that he’ll be getting that call from McDonald 12 months from now — we’re really going out on a limb by making that prediction, aren’t we? — he has no idea that the Class of 2017 is being revealed on this day.

“They’re doing that today?” he says with a laugh. “Who got in?”

Informed Selanne is at the top of the list, he replies: “Very deserving. He was dangerous each and every time he touched the puck.”

In headlining the prospective Class of 2018, Brodeur will at that time join teammates Scott Stevens, Scott Niedermayer and builder Lou Lamoriello in the Hall as part of the New Jersey Devils nucleus that hoisted the Stanley Cup three times from 1995 to 2003. Those are the accomplishments he’s much rather talk about than his personal ones.

“Look, it’s a big thing as an athlete when your class is coming up,” says Brodeur, now the assistant general manager of the St. Louis Blues. “You hope to get in but I don’t think you grow up dreaming about it. And I don’t think you when you are playing you say “I’m playing to get into the Hall of Fame.”

“But once your career is over, you look back at the body of work of what you achieved. And you hear what people around you say too, about how you deserve to get in.

“As it gets closer, too, it’s great to see how happy the inductees are. I love seeing that. And working with the Blues I work with Al MacInnis, who got in years ago.

“All those things get you excited about it.”

When it comes to stats, Brodeur has some legendary numbers. His 691 victories are 140 more than the No. 2 goalie on the list, who happens to be Roy. His shutout resume shows similar dominance, with his 125 far ahead of the 103 posted by second place Terry Sawchuk.

Yet, there are still the critics, those naysayers who claim a semblance of Brodeur’s greatness came from the defensive-first system employed by a Devils team led by Stevens and Niedermayer.

Of course, what the anti-Brodeur fraternity fails to point out is that Montreal Canadiens Hall of Famer Ken Dryden played behind three Hall of Fame blue- liners — Larry Robinson, Serge Savard and Guy Lapointe.

“I’m just shocked to hear ( any criticism) like that,” Lamoriello said Monday. “Here’s the bottom line. It’s like a hitter in baseball who’s hitting behind another hitter. He still has to hit the ball.

“He won three Cups under three different coaches. Our system and style was consistent because we believed in a defensive system to win that started with the goalie out. And Marty was the key guy.”

Because of Brodeur’s outstanding stickhandling abilities, Lamoriello says the Devils actually blueprinted breakout plays predicated on his passing skills. Brodeur was so good at it, he changed the rules of the game, with the NHL implementing trapezoids so goalies could no longer field pucks in the corners.

As for Brodeur’s records, Lamoriello says: “I’ ll be very interested if anyone catches him. And the best part of it was, his success and the team’s success went hand in hand.

“He respected his teammates. I never saw him say anything to his defencemen that could have been construed as negative.”

Come next June, Lamoriello will congratulate Brodeur for being named to the Hall of Fame Class of 2018.

And, hey, if Lanny McDonald wants to make the Hall call before then, we’d be more than happy to give him Brodeur’s number.