Devils to Retire Brodeur's 30 in February

The New Jersey Devils announced today that the team will retire goaltending legend Martin Brodeur’s No. 30 jersey with a special pre-game ceremony, presented by Prudential, on Tuesday, February 9 at Prudential Center when the Devils host the Edmonton Oilers. The ceremony will be the highlight of an ongoing tribute to the Devils great and the culmination of a four-day celebration with Brodeur, starting February 6.

“I am humbled and honored to have this opportunity with the organization that drafted me over 20 years ago, and thrilled to share this moment with fans who have become like family,” said Brodeur, who was in Newark for the announcement.

Brodeur will be the fourth player in Devils franchise history to have his number retired, joining No. 4 Scott Stevens (2006), No. 3 Ken Daneyko (2006) and No. 27 Scott Niedermayer (2011).

“Marty is one of the greatest players in the history of the game and it will be a proud moment for the franchise when his No. 30 jersey takes its rightful place in Prudential Center’s rafters,” said Josh Harris, co-owner of Prudential Center and the New Jersey Devils. “His championship character, legendary work ethic and pride for New Jersey embodied the team for 20 season and we look forward to honoring his incredible career in February with our fans.”

Devils Season Ticket Members and Flex Members will have the opportunity to purchase up to four additional tickets to the February 9 game starting today, and a limited number of single-game tickets will go on sale to the public at a later date.

Presenting partner Prudential will honor Brodeur with a feature from its popular “Chapter 2” campaign and collaborate with the Devils to provide replica retirement banners at the February 9 game for all fans in attendance.

“We are delighted to join in paying tribute to Marty, a leader both on and off the ice,” said Mark Grier, Vice Chairman at Prudential. “This recognition of his outstanding performance and commitment to excellence is another proud moment in our ongoing partnership with Prudential Center and with the Devils.”

At today’s press conference, the Devils unveiled the official “Martin Brodeur Jersey Retirement” logo that will be used in conjunction with the celebration, including for special merchandise, which will be available at the Devils Den Team Store and NewJerseyDevils.com/Brodeur later this season.

The team also announced plans to commission a statue in Brodeur’s honor that will be dedicated during the celebration weekend. The Devils are working with renowned sculptor Jon Krawczyk, who designed the hockey figure that currently sits on Championship Plaza outside of Prudential Center, on the design of the Brodeur sculpture. The Devils will hold a contest later in the season to give five fans the opportunity to use the statue as a time capsule by submitting a personal memento that will be enclosed in the sculpture.

The celebration weekend before the retirement ceremony will take place Saturday, February 6 through Tuesday, February 9 and feature special events each day with Brodeur. Additional details about each event will be announced at a later date at NewJerseyDevils.com/Brodeur and on Twitter @NHLDevils using #MB30.

Arguably the greatest goaltender to ever play in the NHL, Brodeur’s legendary career began at the 1990 NHL Entry Draft when the Devils selected him with the 20th overall pick. Over 20 seasons in New Jersey, Brodeur helped lead the Devils to three Stanley Cup championships, in 1995, 2000 and 2003, five Eastern Conference titles, and a total of 17 playoff appearances. Brodeur was one of five players to be part of all three Devils championships, along with Daneyko, Stevens, Niedermayer and Sergei Brylin.

During his Devils career, Brodeur was named to the 1994 All-Rookie Team and won the Calder Memorial Trophy for the league’s top first year player; he won the Vezina Trophy as the league’s top goaltender four times; he was awarded the William M. Jennings Trophy for fewest team goals against five times; and was named to the NHL’s First All-Star Team twice and Second All-Star Team four times, appearing in a total of 10 NHL All-Star Games.

Beyond trophies, Brodeur’s name is etched throughout the NHL’s record book and currently sits atop numerous categories, including: regular season wins (691), single season wins (48, ’06-‘07), overtime wins (69), games played (1,266), games played with a single team (1,260), regular season shutouts (125), playoff shutouts (24), minutes played (74,083), 40-win seasons (8), 30-win seasons (13), shutouts in a playoff campaign (7, ‘03), shutouts in a Stanley Cup final (tie: 3, ‘03), points and assists in a playoff campaign (4, ’12), youngest goalie to reach 300, 400 and 500 career wins, and only goalie to reach 600 career wins. He is also the only NHL goalie to score a game-winning goal and holds the record for most career goals by a goaltender with three.

Internationally, Brodeur has competed for Team Canada in three Olympic Games, winning Gold in 2002 and 2010. In 2002, Brodeur went undefeated after relieving Curtis Joseph, including blocking 31 of 33 shots by Team USA in the Gold Medal game to win 5-2. In IIHF World Championships, Brodeur led Team Canada to Silver in 1996 and 2005, while leading his countrymen to the championship title in the 2004 World Cup of Hockey.

Brodeur retired from professional hockey on January 29, 2015 after a six-game tenure with the St. Louis Blues. Following his retirement, Brodeur joined the Blues’ front office and currently serves as Assistant General Manager.

(NJ Devils)