In this week’s NHL power rankings, we take a look at who are the top three goalies in NHL history.
Even though the NHL is currently on hold, we’re still trying to have weekly NHL power rankings articles. This week, we’re taking a look at goalies.
In hockey, the goaltending position is arguably the most important in the game. It doesn’t matter how many goals your team scores if you have a goalie who is unable to make saves. It can be an extremely lonely position at times, as fans often credit the goal scorers for a teams win and fault the goalies for a loss.
The NHL, which was founded in 1917, has seen tens of thousands of goaltenders. Some have struggled, some have been good, and some have simply been fantastic. The fantastic ones are the goalies who are able to not only play at a top level and steal games, but do so consistently. They can win games and even championships despite not playing on the most talented team. Though there are many who are regarded as great goalies, these three are the best to ever do it.
3. Martin Brodeur
The New Jersey Devils made likely their greatest draft choice of all time when they selected Martin Brodeur 20th overall in the 1990 draft. The Montreal Quebec native had a brilliant career, proven by his all time NHL leading 691 wins. To prove the point of just how incredible that is, the second highest win total by a goalie is 551.
One forgotten part of Brodeur’s excellence was his longevity. Along with leading the NHL all time in wins, he also leads in both games played (1266) and losses (397). In 12 of his 21 seasons he started 70 or more games, which is a testament to both his mental and physical strength.
Brodeur was known his entire career for being a winner. He led the Devils to three Stanley Cup Championships in 1995, 2000, and 2003 and helped Team Canada capture Gold Medals at the 2002 and 2010 Olympics. He also won many individual awards over the course of his career, including four Vezina Trophies, five William M. Jennings Trophies, and a Calder Trophy.
While being known for many great things amongst fans and players alike, Brodeur may perhaps most be remembered for his superb puck handling abilities. The now 48-year-old sits tied for second all time with 47 points, but even more impressive is his goal total. He scored two regular season goals in his career, which is a record in it’s own right, but also has a playoff goal under his belt. Marty is generally regarded as being the best puck moving goalie of all time.
By the time Brodeur’s career was all said and done, he finished with a career goals against average (GAA) of 2.24 and a save percentage (SV%) of .912. He also sits atop the all-time shutouts list with a whopping 125, with the next closest being Terry Sawchuk at 103.
The one blemish he had at the end of his career came when he decided to sign as a free agent with the St. Louis Blues for the 2014-15 season after the Devils decided to move on from their franchise icon.
He likely would have just retired if he could do it again, as his Blues tenure was a complete disaster and he only appeared in seven games with them as a result. Despite that blip on the radar, he is without a doubt one of the best to ever do it.