New Jersey Devils unveil Martin Brodeur ‘salute’ statue (Photos)
Martin Brodeur has officially been bronzed an immortalized.
The New Jersey Devils unveiled a statue of the legendary goaltender at a ceremony in the Prudential Center on Monday.
The statue, which was designed by Jon Krawczyk, will rest outside the Prudential Center in Championship Plaza. Brodeur is set to have his No. 30 retired on Tuesday against the Edmonton Oilers.
“When they brought it up, I was shocked,” Brodeur said in New York Times story. “I never expected a statue like that, to be standing outside … forever.”
Joked Brodeur at the ceremony, “It’s, a lot more fit than me now.”
Brodeur is the NHL’s all-time leader in wins with 691 and shutouts with 125. He won three Stanley Cups and four Vezina Trophies with the Devils. He is considered the greatest player in franchise history and one of the top goaltenders in NHL history.
The design of the statue is based of Brodeur’s salute in his last game as a Devil, which came during the 2013-14 season. The 43-year-old Brodeur played seven games with the St. Louis Blues last season.
Said former Devils teammate John MacLean about the statue via Fire and Ice:
“I can’t see anyone else getting one,” MacLean said. “I’m an old Devil. I’m like 1980s. So, this is kind of stamp. It’s no different Edmonton putting (Wayne) Gretzky out there. … As far as the first 30-35 years of your existence, this kind of represents that whole era to me.”
It’s also a time capsule where specially selected fans, who were invited to the Monday ceremony, can put their favorite Brodeur memorabilia in the statue. Here is information about Brodeur and the event, as provided by the Devils as part of their celebration.
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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper
