Not only recognized for his quantifiable accolades, such as wins and shutouts, Brodeur was also noted for his exceptional puck-handling skills, effectively acting as a third defenseman on the ice. These abilities inherently prompted the NHL to implement a trapezoid rule to restrict play behind the net.
“He had the passing ability that made it that much easier for the defensemen,” teammate Ken Daneyko said in 2018 to NHL.com. “His puck-handling ability almost made him like a third defenseman and they ended up making a rule for Marty because he was too good at it. Nobody could forecheck.”
His teammates always knew how special he was and how lucky they were to have him playing on their side.
“Just his demeanor and his calmness in the net, the most important position, you want a guy to have that confidence,” Daneyko added. “You just didn’t see any fear in him. … He had that swagger, that athletic ability and you thought that potentially we had a really good one, and a good one for a long time if he progressed.
“We all know that he did [progress], and the rest is history.”
“He had the mental toughness to be a goaltender,” said Scott Stevens to NHL.com in 2018. “It’s kind of a lonely position. It’s like a pitcher on the mound. You’re sort of by yourself in a team sport, and he had the ability to just shrug things off and not let things snowball and get unwound.”
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