Marty’s last stop: The Hall of Fame
TORONTO — Martin Brodeur, Willie O’Ree and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman led the latest group of inductees to the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday night.
Brodeur, the all-time leader in goalie wins and shutouts, was joined in the player’s category by Martin St. Louis, Canadian women’s star Jayna Hefford and Russian great Alexander Yakushev. Bettman and O’Ree — the NHL’s first black player — went into the Hall as builders.
A three-time Stanley Cup champion and four-time Vezina Trophy winner with the Devils, Brodeur won 691 games and had 125 shutouts in his 20 seasons.
“This is a really special day for me,” Brodeur said. “I’m honored and humbled.”
A two-time Olympic gold medalist for Canada, Brodeur shares or owns 12 NHL records.
“He competed with a smile on his face,” said Devils teammate and class of 2013 inductee Scott Niedermayer. “He just embraced the big challenge. He wasn’t overwhelmed.”
O’Ree became the first black player in the NHL when he was called up by the Bruins to play against the Montreal Canadiens on Jan. 18, 1958. The 83-year-old, who had a long career in the minors, played just 45 games in the NHL, but returned to the fold in 1996 as a league ambassador.