Martin Brodeur Waits for One More Chance to Play

Martin Brodeur, now 42, was standing on the red carpet leading into the space where the Hockey Hall of Fame was preparing to hold its annual induction ceremony. He will repeat the walk one day, as an inductee, but not until after he finally decides to retire.
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For now, he is jobless, but not retired. One of the most decorated goaltenders in National Hockey League history is working out a few times a week, watching games when he can, waiting and hoping for even one of 30 teams to call.

“I’m willing to play any kind of role that would be offered to me, to a certain extent, in the right fit, in the right market,” he said. “For me, it’s not about ego or anything. I just love to play the game, and I know I could help a team out, somehow.”

Brodeur has 688 career wins in the regular season. He is a four-time winner of the Vezina Trophy as the league’s best goaltender. He helped the New Jersey Devils to three Stanley Cup titles and was, for the better part of two decades, the face of the franchise.

“It’s been good, the time off, enjoying the kids, traveling a lot,” he said on Monday night. “Things that I could never do, I’m able to do. But again, I still have that fire — I’d like to play again.”