DinoCosta

Who ? Link ?

Come on NZT...not happening on this board.

Other than Cup #4, what else is there left for him to do personally?  He already has the wins and shutouts records....



My thoughts exactly.  There is nothing left for him to do BUT win that 4th Cup....



Marty knows the detractors will definitely bring that point up, so I am sure he is very motivated to get the 4th without the legendary defense in front of him....

The times that Marty can possess the kind of ability to stand on his head and steal games all on his own have become fewer and fewer with each passing season - including this one.

I realize that in some quarters my thoughts are considered to be sacrilege almost...yes, I feel the Devils can win another Cup with Marty in net, however - my feeling that he puts self above team has been confirmed by at least one Devil I have spoken with...and I'd feel a heck of a lot better about not only Marty winning games, but the Devils winning another Stanley Cup, with Marty realizing that fewer games in the Fall and Winter, would translate into a fresher goaltender in the Spring & Summer.

I hate the fact that I get the distinct impression, that over the last few seasons, Marty has not only placed self above team, but his conditioning leaves a lot to be desired as well.

Yes, Cup # 4 would be another notch in his belt, yes playing and winning a cup without an upper echelon defensive team in front of him would be more than satisfying (this admission by others works into my view that on another team in another system and without the opportunity to play whenever he wants to, Marty would have 100 less wins on his resume right now), but with 3 already in tow, I cannot get away from the feeling based upon what I see - that Marty isn't concerned as much about team as he is about Marty.

Do you really believe his primary goal is not Cup #4?

As much as I hate to admit it, yes, I do believe that he's more interested in himself at this point than Cups...I don't like that admission, but I would be lying to you if I said I felt otherwise. Of course this is a subjective view point - and one that I would naturally not expect you - or someone else to agree with.

On the flip side, there is now way that I'm alone with this sort of thinking.

Top 5 yes, considering he is top 3 all time, up there with Roy and Hasek.

The best in the league right now (this season)? You could argue Miller, Vokoun, Brodeur, Kiprusoff, Nabokov, Luongo at times. If Miller plays out the rest of the season like he has so far, he is a lock for the Vezina. Of those, only one has one it all in the past.

If we are talking one big game over the last few years, Ward tends to come up at big times. Fleury the last 2 years has been huge come playoff time. But even in losing, Brodeur has put up good playoff numbers. I don't see why anyone, especially a Devils fan, could so easily discount him. Without Brodeur, this team might be in Nashville.

Dan I understand what you're saying...I've been a die hard Devils fan since they first dropped the puck...I'm as loyal a Devils dog as there is...with all that said, in all objectivity, I don't feel that Marty has been playing at an elite level for a few years now. This may sound incredible given the fact that he's got all the records and he has an iconic status attached to his name. But I truly believe that he is now a good, not a great goaltender currently...when Clemmy stepped in for Marty the Devils kept pace---thrived even. As much as I love Marty and have enjoyed his career, I cannot state that I'm not looking forward to the Devils franchise post Brodeur...because I am. Marty can still show glimpses of his former greatness, but I have to agree with those who feel he puts himself ahead of the team, chases records, and with 3 cups to his credit, is driven by other factors at this juncture of his career.

As much as I love Marty I'm always thinking about his selfishness in regard to the having to play whenever he wants to play. I would imagine that this is some sort of a trade off, for signing with the club, being loyal and not testing the FA waters...it almost seems to be like the Devils saying; "and oh yeah, you may always make the call on playing or not"...no other Goaltender in the league has this kind of personal latitude. Every year this time for the past few seasons, he seems sluggish, and so does the entire team really. I mean lets be honset now, you have to pick one goaltender in the NHL to win a playoff series in front of any kind of a system...how many are picking Marty? I'm not. Using the Devils schedule as his own sort of personal day planner is another element I consider when I state he'd have minimum 100 less wins in his career rigth now if he played anywhere else but Jersey.