But again, his tenure and exposures were too brief to award him the honor. If Dunham stayed with Jersey, there’s a good chance he could’ve been Brodeur’s best backup of all time. The Johnson City, New York native eventually displayed a solid NHL career while dressing for the Nashville Predators, Rangers, Islanders, and Atlanta Thrashers (yes that was a real team at one point). 1 never finished a season in New Jersey with a losing record and posted GAA’s of 2.55 and 2.25, respectively. It seemed that Dunham was inserted into the lineup to push Brodeur, per se. Mike Dunham was drafted in the third round by then-general manager Lou Lamoriello and appeared in 41 games for New Jersey from 1996-98. New Jersey actually selected another goaltender in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft other than Brodeur. Let’s turn back the clock even further to the late 1990s. But sorry Weekes, you weren’t the best ‘tender behind Marty. The current NHL Network analyst has always been a fan favorite. With New Jersey, the 6-foot-1 goaltender only collected nine wins and was actually a backup for another Devils netminder at one point in time - we’ll get to that soon. During that run, they executed a first-round upset of Brodeur and the Devils in six games - shutting out New Jersey in the elimination game as well. Weekes backstopped the Carolina Hurricanes in 2001-02 en route to the Stanley Cup Final. 1 is likely remembered in Devils history for his play on the other end of the ice against Brodeur. The 1993 second-round draft pick dressed for the Islanders and Rangers prior to joining the Devils. Similar to Vanbiesbrouck, Weekes was also a familiar foe to New Jersey. While he owns the most career wins (374) out of any of the goaltenders on this list, “the Beezer” won’t be named Brodeur’s best backup considering his brief tenure and limited appearances. 34 won six games for New Jersey while posting a 2.11 goals-against-average and. #doyourememberwhen John Vanbiesbrouck played for the New Jersey Devils? He appeared in 9 games over 2 seasons from 2000-02 with an overall record of 6-3-0 and a 0.920sv%. Vanbiesbrouck only appeared in nine career games with the Devils, which was unfortunate because if he lasted one or two more full seasons, he arguably could’ve gone down as Brodeur’s greatest backup. He then returned from retirement late the following season. “The Beezer” was acquired at the 2000-01 NHL Trade Deadline from the Islanders in exchange for Terreri. While Vanbiesbrouck dressed for rival squads throughout his NHL career, such as the New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, and New York Islanders, he’s a notable masked man that suited up behind Brodeur on two different occasions. 30’s notable backup/partner netminders since his rookie season in 1993-94.Ĭhris Terreri, Corey Schwab, Mike Dunham, John Vanbiesbrouck, Scott Clemmensen, Kevin Weekes and Johan Hedberg.įans might’ve expected a long list at first, but Marty simply didn’t have a ton of goaltending partners in his 21-year career. For this conversation, Schneider is acknowledged as Brodeur’s predecessor. Current New Jersey netminder Cory Schneider is not included in the equation. Who was Brodeur’s best backup goaltender?įor starters, let’s address the elephant in the room. Instead, ESNY endeavors a plot twist in Brodeur and the Devils’ history. There’s no need to dive into the Hockey Hall of Famers plethora of NHL records considering everyone is more than aware of his accomplishments. That was Martin Brodeur’s final game between the pipes for the New Jersey Devils. The goaltender’s crease in New Jersey hasn’t been the same since April 13, 2014. The New Jersey Devils entailed the greatest goaltender of all time for two decades, but who was Martin Brodeur’s best backup?
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