Brodeur retires, joins STL front office

[Chimaira_Devil_#9]

Gutted I never got to see him play in person. 1 year too late. Foolishly presume he would get a one year deal.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

agreed 100%, thats my 1 issue, 7 games with the blues to ruin everything he built in NJ...

 

I'll never understand this mentality.  Especially since it's pretty clear that Marty, for his own reasons, needed these seven games to get full closure on his playing career, and to feel like he can move on with no regrets.  At least he's retiring on a good note FOR HIM. 

[DevsMan84]

I haven't been Marty's biggest fan to say the least, but to say that those 7 games ruin or tarnish his legacy is silly.  When his jersey gets retired next year I think most, if not all people will forget about those 7 games over in STL.  He still played more games than any other goalie in NHL history in a Devils uniform and that includes goalies who played for multiple teams.  I mean how many people remember Belfour for playing in SJ and how many people remember Brett Hull for playing in Phoenix and an even better example with Gretzky in STL as well?  It's just merely a footnote that will soon be only remembered in trivia questions.

[devilsrule33]

Absolutely no issues with Marty working in the Blues front office, and frankly I'm a little nervous about him joining the Devils front office next year. We have no idea if he'd be any good at it, and if turns out that it doesn't suit him, it's that much more difficult for the team to admit it was a mistake. It's similar to doctors that won't operate on friends.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

The role with St Louis just makes sense. Firstly, the Blues have been nothing but class to Marty. They kept him on the roster out of respect, and allowed him to take his time making this decision. There was talk about him sitting in coaches meetings as well. Perhaps this is Brodeur returning the favour to them, or maybe Brodeur justifying the cup-of-coffee stint with St Louis, thus making it a more meaningful move or footnote in his career. They even gave him an insane title.

 

Since the offer was put forward by the organization to be titled AGM for half a season, what a perfect opportunity. Secondly, what is there in NJ right now with Lou coaching? Is there even someone to work with on a day-today basis? The answer is sadly no. Conte busy scouting, Chris in Albany. There is no one else on the hockey side right now in NJ that isn't consumed by babysitting.

 

Anyway, I wouldn't be shocked or upset if Brodeur stayed with the Blues moving forward. Maybe he'l love it and maybe he'l hate it, but one thing is clear to me, Marty Brodeur can do whatever he wants and represent any organization he wants, and should be free from anyone questioning his decision. I really liked Marty Brodeur, the great goaltender for the New Jersey Devils. I don't need to like or defend the person, and I certainly don't need Martin Brodeur the executive, to be part of the Devils organization. If it happens, sure, but the last memory I really care for is when the Devils honour Brodeur's playing career with his jersey retirement. There's no excitement or thrill of a great hockey player joining the Devils management staff with little to no experience. 

[squishyx]

 

Why exactly would I need a dictionary?  When since do dictionaries help with counting and doing simple research?  BTW it was FIVE starts (as in not six) and TWO relief appearances for a total of - you guessed it - SEVEN games.

 

http://www.hockey-reference.com/players/b/brodema01.html

 

Sorry, but I think those who insist that Marty playing those whopping seven games for another team somehow diminished his legend should at least get the very basics correct (apparently you can't be bothered to do that). 

 

 

And here's your exact words from the "Marty Watch" thread:

 

What a waste.

Perfect Devils career tarnished for 6 meaningless games.

 

 

No one said that his little run in St. Louis tarnished everything?  Really? 

 

Awesome...nice work there.

 

 

----------------------------------------------------------------

The reason I said 6 initially was because that's how many games ESPN had listed for him. They made a mistake, as did I, I apologized for the over sight and corrected myself. Again, Is that really major battle you want to run around thumping your chest about? 

 

And yes you do need a dictionary. Apparently you don't know what the words "perfect" and "tarnish" and perhaps the word "context" mean

Marty does not have a perfect Devils career anymore, literally. Maybe you are speaking figuratively and you just want to overlook his days in St. Louis. That's cool. I am not sh!tting all over your for having an opinion that differs then mine. But factually speaking those games did happen. Marty has no longer played 100% of his games for the Devils, and that record is no longer perfect, and that is what I was referring too, and that is why I consider the games in St. Louis a waste.

Tarnish in this context does not mean "everything" he has ever done. I am talking about his "100% Devils played career". And if that wasn't clear at first, I explicitly stated later what I was referring too. You conveniently ignore that though but it's still incredibly disingenuous of you to continue to pretend that I am smearing his entire career when I am not. You are so desperate to have a pre-canned argument that you are just applying it to my statements because you are intellectually lazy.

I love Marty, I appreciate and respect everything that his has done for this organization. His jersey proudly hangs in my closet, I consider him the greatest Devil of all time,  I look forward to Marty night, to his retirement and eventual role with the club. Doesn't mean I can't be disappointed with the way he chose to go out.

 

And honestly it says a lot about you that in a thread about Marty appreciation, your went out of your way to bring all this up again. So yeah, guess "you" are the true Marty fan.

 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Nice squish...YOUR lousy word choices and poor phrasing is on YOU.  So be it.  I'm not the problem here. 

 

Funny, I didn't even mention you specifically in the first place in this thread.  I referred to a FACTION of Devils fans.  And I do think it is sad in a number of ways that some people want to even suggest that the seven St. Louis games is any kind of detriment to anything related to Marty's Devils career...that now somehow it's "no longer perfect" because it's not 100% having played with the Devils.  I can deal with the fact that Marty "only" played 99.447% of his NHL career with the Devils, and don't feel the need to tie any importance to the 00.553% he spent with the Blues.   

 

Anyway, done with this.  Like I said before, anyone who actually feels like the seven games had any significance will get over it either before or during the jersey retirement ceremony anyway.   

[squishyx]

Nice squish...YOUR lousy word choices and poor phrasing is on YOU.  So be it.  I'm not the problem here. 

 

Funny, I didn't even mention you specifically in the first place in this thread.  I referred to a FACTION of Devils fans.  And I do think it is sad in a number of ways that some people want to even suggest that the seven St. Louis games is any kind of detriment to anything related to Marty's Devils career...that now somehow it's "no longer perfect" because it's not 100% having played with the Devils.  I can deal with the fact that Marty "only" played 99.447% of his NHL career with the Devils, and don't feel the need to tie any importance to the 00.553% he spent with the Blues.   

 

Anyway, done with this.  Like I said before, anyone who actually feels like the seven games had any significance will get over it either before or during the jersey retirement ceremony anyway.   

Yeah it was a nice little paralipsis there. "Some fans, like the ones who said this quote right here.. oh but I am not talking about anyone in particular!"  something something word choices. So subtle.   

And you obviously are the problem if you have something explained to you (is this the third time now?) and you continue to play dumb about it.

 

[mfitz804]

agreed 100%, thats my 1 issue, 7 games with the blues to ruin everything he built in NJ...

 

 

Dumbest logic ever. 

[Devil Dan 56]

As said above... 99.447% of career games as a Devils player. In a short time it will be as forgotten as Jaques Plante the Blue, Brett Favre the Viking, Namath the Ram, Lafleur the Nordique etc.

[StormJosh]

my favorite is Chelios the Thrasher. Does anyone feel his legacy is tainted by that? 

[devilsrule33]

As said above... 99.447% of career games as a Devils player. In a short time it will be as forgotten as Jaques Plante the Blue, Brett Favre the Viking, Namath the Ram, Lafleur the Nordique etc.

 

And even if it isn't forgotten, and every Devils fan and hockey fan remembers Brodeur as a St Louis Blue, why should it possibly matter? The played every single game for one team is one of those unicorn BS things that people make up to add something special to a player on their own team, or try to better or distinguish them against a comparable player. 

 

When people talk about playing for one team their entire career, they are basically talking about Brodeur, Montana, Namath as opposed to guys like Roy, Gretzky, Messier. Professional or personal grudges didn't ruin the Brodeur/Devils legacy. There was no hostility. Both weren't able to give each other what they wanted. But Every great moment of Brodeur's career was with the Devils, or at the least enough success to last any fan's lifetime. Brodeur picked New Jersey time and time again when he could have tested the free agent market, and the Devils in turn gave him what he wanted in 2012.

[devlman]

I'll never understand this mentality.  Especially since it's pretty clear that Marty, for his own reasons, needed these seven games to get full closure on his playing career, and to feel like he can move on with no regrets.  At least he's retiring on a good note FOR HIM. 

 

How are you acting like you know what Marty was/is thinking or how he feels? Or that he feels hes retiring on a good note?

 

Based on everything he said about being a starter, if anything, it makes more sense to assume he would never have left NJ if he knew he was just going to get 7 games elsewhere (he could have easily gotten that as a backup in NJ). He left to be a starter even though everyone realized he was clearly finished. He clearly did not realize it, which is why it is sad. He went to go start somewhere else and got a whopping 7 games. I think remaining as a coach in STL is some form of trying to save face.  Staying with one organization was always something he took pride in. The one thing that drove him from that was to get some more games. 6 starts is not something worth tarnishing a legacy for him (something he presumably cares about given his ego and past quotes/drive for 700) and the fans (who didnt want Marty to not retire a Devil so very very cheaply).

[devlman]

my favorite is Chelios the Thrasher. Does anyone feel his legacy is tainted by that? 

 

Chelios played many games for more than one organization. Try again.  

 

And for all the Orr, Gretzky, etc comparisons...those guys not only played more than a handful of games for Chicago, STL, etc...but they also played meaningful games for them, as well.  Marty started 6 games. If he had stayed on with the STL roster and played more then it'd make more sense and look reasonable. The fact that he left NJ to be a starter and ended up with 6 games seems pathetic, desperate, and cheap to what would have been a pristine legacy sheet. 

Edited January 28, 2015 by devlman

[Triumph]

Chelios played many games for more than one organization. Try again.  

 

And for all the Orr, Gretzky, etc comparisons...those guys not only played more than a handful of games for Chicago, STL, etc...but they also played meaningful games for them, as well.  Marty started 6 games. If he had stayed on with the STL roster and played more then it'd make more sense and look reasonable. The fact that he left NJ to be a starter and ended up with 6 games seems pathetic, desperate, and cheap to what would have been a pristine legacy sheet. 

 

He had no idea he was going to play 7 games.  His goal was to become the starter and lead the Blues into the playoffs.  It didn't work out.  If he thought he was going to play 7 games I don't think he would've done it.

[mfitz804]

He had no idea he was going to play 7 games.  His goal was to become the starter and lead the Blues into the playoffs.  It didn't work out.  If he thought he was going to play 7 games I don't think he would've done it.

Well said. He was hoping he'd catch on and prove himself. 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

How are you acting like you know what Marty was/is thinking or how he feels? Or that he feels hes retiring on a good note?

 

Based on everything he said about being a starter, if anything, it makes more sense to assume he would never have left NJ if he knew he was just going to get 7 games elsewhere (he could have easily gotten that as a backup in NJ). He left to be a starter even though everyone realized he was clearly finished. He clearly did not realize it, which is why it is sad. He went to go start somewhere else and got a whopping 7 games. I think remaining as a coach in STL is some form of trying to save face.  Staying with one organization was always something he took pride in. The one thing that drove him from that was to get some more games. 6 starts is not something worth tarnishing a legacy for him (something he presumably cares about given his ego and past quotes/drive for 700) and the fans (who didnt want Marty to not retire a Devil so very very cheaply).

 

Only Marty knows what Marty is thinking.  But I think it's fair to say that, because he never announced his retirement after his Devils career ended, that he wasn't ready to walk away just yet.  The fact that he was willing to wait until an opportunity (one that appeared to be very temporary at best from the get-go) presented itself speaks to the fact that he didn't feel like he was done, and wanted to make sure he wasn't leaving anything in the tank.

 

I'm thinking (and I could be 100% wrong...I don't live in Marty's head) that he realized he used up his "One chance because of everything I've done" card with the Blues, that he wasn't going to get to play with another team (based on 2+ seasons of below-average performance), and that though even now he may not want it to be completely over, that it finally is.  I'm hoping the fact that he actually retired means he's found some peace with his decision...basically hoping that, regardless of how he got the seven games or what the results were, he found some closure to his NHL on-ice career that he may never have gotten had he retired at the end of last season.  Like Tri alludes to, I'm sure the guy who's used to writing his own script would've liked to have signed with a team earlier on and been good enough to play the hero, or at the very least done more with the opportunity he was given...maybe it was going to take neither of those things happening for him to walk away. 

[devlman]

He had no idea he was going to play 7 games.  His goal was to become the starter and lead the Blues into the playoffs.  It didn't work out.  If he thought he was going to play 7 games I don't think he would've done it.

 

Right. That it didnt work out and that he only played 7 games looks sad though. Its hindsight, of course, but really not surprising that Marty would not be a cup contender's first choice goalie. Its sad he thought he would be.

[devlman]

Only Marty knows what Marty is thinking.  But I think it's fair to say that, because he never announced his retirement after his Devils career ended, that he wasn't ready to walk away just yet.  The fact that he was willing to wait until an opportunity (one that appeared to be very temporary at best from the get-go) presented itself speaks to the fact that he didn't feel like he was done, and wanted to make sure he wasn't leaving anything in the tank.

 

I'm thinking (and I could be 100% wrong...I don't live in Marty's head) that he realized he used up his "One chance because of everything I've done" card with the Blues, that he wasn't going to get to play with another team (based on 2+ seasons of below-average performance), and that though even now he may not want it to be completely over, that it finally is.  I'm hoping the fact that he actually retired means he's found some peace with his decision...basically hoping that, regardless of how he got the seven games or what the results were, he found some closure to his NHL on-ice career that he may never have gotten had he retired at the end of last season.  Like Tri alludes to, I'm sure the guy who's used to writing his own script would've liked to have signed with a team earlier on and been good enough to play the hero, or at the very least done more with the opportunity he was given...maybe it was going to take neither of those things happening for him to walk away. 

 

If by closure you mean he realized NHL teams dont want him and that he is done, then I agree. But again, its my point that this is a sad thing to go out this way - putting a blemish on his career bio. He couldve gotten this 'closure' at home in NJ as a backup. It wouldnt look as desperate and sad if he had stayed, and would also give him a 100% with one team record (something alot of current and future fans would have really admired).

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

If by closure you mean he realized NHL teams dont want him and that he is done, then I agree. But again, its my point that this is a sad thing to go out this way - putting a blemish on his career bio. He couldve gotten this 'closure' at home in NJ as a backup. It wouldnt look as desperate and sad if he had stayed, and would also give him a 100% with one team record (something alot of current and future fans would have really admired).

 

By closure I mean more that he still needed to play, for his own reasons...reasons that for him clearly overrode the "one-team" thing.  I don't consider that a blemish, stain, whatever.  It was something he obviously needed to do before he could call it quits...I don't care what his reasons were for it, or how it might've looked.  And he wasn't going to get that closure as a Devil in 2014-15...it was time for both parties to move on (at the very least, it sure felt like it). 

 

Like I said, I'll take the 99.447% (and of his prime years and greatest achievements) and like it.   

Edited January 28, 2015 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[dmann422]

When I say the name Michael Jordan nobody thinks of the Washington wizards. It's sad had some people need to make a controversy over 7 measly games.

Plus even before he left Marty didn't have a "perfect" devils career. So to say those 7 games tarnishes it is silly, there are plenty of other things you could point to as a bigger knock but let's be honest he's still the greatest to ever wear the jersey and 7 games doesn't change that.

[Devil Dan 56]

When I say the name Michael Jordan nobody thinks of the Washington wizards. It's sad had some people need to make a controversy over 7 measly games.

Plus even before he left Marty didn't have a "perfect" devils career. So to say those 7 games tarnishes it is silly, there are plenty of other things you could point to as a bigger knock but let's be honest he's still the greatest to ever wear the jersey and 7 games doesn't change that.

If he re-signed with the Devils, I'm sure there would be someone somewhere who said he ruined his legacy because he played as a backup on the team he built or something. These pristine legacies where a guy leaves at the perfect time are fantasies that rarely actually occur.

He wasn't ready to leave the game yet because he probably thought he had something left. Unfortunately he just didn't. And you're right. 7 games changes nothing.

[squishyx]

If he re-signed with the Devils, I'm sure there would be someone somewhere who said he ruined his legacy because he played as a backup on the team he built or something. These pristine legacies where a guy leaves at the perfect time are fantasies that rarely actually occur.

He wasn't ready to leave the game yet because he probably thought he had something left. Unfortunately he just didn't. And you're right. 7 games changes nothing.

Exceptionally rare. That's part of the sting.

[squishyx]

When I say the name Michael Jordan nobody thinks of the Washington wizards. It's sad had some people need to make a controversy over 7 measly games.

Plus even before he left Marty didn't have a "perfect" devils career. So to say those 7 games tarnishes it is silly, there are plenty of other things you could point to as a bigger knock but let's be honest he's still the greatest to ever wear the jersey and 7 games doesn't change that.

I distinctly remember his stint with the Wizzards. I also remember his little forary into baseball. Does it change that Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time? No. But I bet there a lot of bulls fans out there that wish he never dabbled with another team and they certainly remember it.

You guys are funny, you keep listing players that had small stints with other teams and rhetorically ask if anyone remembers that they had played for another team...I don't think it's proving your point very well.

Edited January 28, 2015 by squishyx

[Triumph]

I distinctly remember his stint with the Wizzards. I also remember his little forary into baseball. Does it change that Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time? No. But I bet there a lot of bulls fans out there that wish he never dabbled with another team and they certainly remember it.

You guys are funny, you keep listing players that had small stints with other teams and rhetorically ask if anyone remembers that they had played for another team...I don't think it's proving your point very well.

 

You can throw out anything before free agency happened in sports, because that's just a completely different landscape - there just aren't many athletes who spent their career with one team, and those that did usually were not very good by the end.  Jeter, Ripken, Biggio - these are 3 that come to mind who did it, and they were all awful in their final season.  Mike Schmidt retired mid-season when he just didn't have it anymore.  George Brett's final 3 seasons weren't very productive at all.  If we go over to hockey, Mario Lemieux played 3 injury-shortened years before he gave it up.  Joe Sakic ended his career on an injury.  Hockey just doesn't have many one-team guys who've retired in my sports-watching lifetime.  Someone's going to think you're better than you are at some point (or worse than you are) and away you go to another team.  

[Devil Dan 56]

Exceptionally rare. That's part of the sting.

The sting is only there if you let something so miniscule bother you.

What actual athletes have had the fantasy you're thinking of? And I'm talking generational talents, not guys like Dano. Yzerman? Some classic Yankees?

Edited January 28, 2015 by Devil Dan 56