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Martin Brodeur Press Conference from Jan. 13, 2000
Posted: Friday January 14, 2000 02:54 PM
Question: When you look at this list of goaltenders that you might be able to join when you hit 30 wins this season for the fifth consecutive season, even though you are only 27, do you allow yourself to, at least, think about your place in the game given the company that you are about to keep? Martin Brodeur: Not really. I just play the game. It is pretty overwhelming to see that my name is mentioned with all these great goalies and stuff as far as a few of the records that I am approaching or that I am going to get to. That is why you play the game. You just hope you are going to make your mark as a good goalie or as a great athlete and these kind of things are just happening to me and it is great. Question: I just wanted you to address your durability. You are a throw-back to the old-style goaltender who can play 60 or 70 games a year and when you factor in that you probably average 10 playoffs games, what is kind of the secret to your durability? You have been able to play not only well, but often without getting hurt? Martin Brodeur: I don't get concerned too much about the games. I go out there and I really enjoy myself. That makes a big difference. I don't make it hard on myself. I don't put extra pressure on myself and I feel that my coach is doing the same thing towards me. When you have full confidence to go out there and do your best and not worry about the outcome of the game in every game you are in, I think it helps you to play a lot of games. You don't feel the pressure and I think that is where a goalie gets tired, when they feel the pressure too much and sometimes mentally it is tough. Physically, I think everybody is in good enough shape to be able to do what I do. I think it is really mentally that you have to be a little bit stronger to be able to go through a season with playing a lot of games. Question: Under Robbie, have you noticed a big change -- I know -- your goals-against average is up slightly; partly because you are seeing a lot more shots at you. Has that been difficult for you? Martin Brodeur: It has been fun. I think when I was playing under Jacques it was a great experience and the team, every time I was going out there was really sound defensively and it was good. Now with Robbie, it is our second year that he is with the team as a head coach, and I think he makes it fun to play the game. Yes, it is a little harder, maybe, on the staff and stuff. But I think everyday, to go out and I know just by example getting to score 5 goals-against him for being able to win a game, that would never have happened before. That makes a big difference. I was able to get the staff and add two years under two goals-against, and I think it is just now a time for me to really enjoy it and be able to rack some wins up. We have a great team, a team that can win both ways when we really want to play defensively. We showed this year that we are able to do it too. Hopefully it is going to come around a little bit more defensively down the stretch because it is going to be a little bit more important to be in the Playoffs. I am enjoying myself under Robbie, there no doubt. Question: Like you say, you can win both ways and when you need to you can play the trap or you can open it up. Is it something you need in the Playoffs as in the last two years you were upset in the first round. Perhaps teams know your style of play, but now you can play both ways, do you think that is an advantage? Martin Brodeur: It is. I think the fact that we made a big transition here in New Jersey with a youth movement getting a lot younger guys in the lineup and being a big part of the team, that is something that we never had under Jacques. It was mostly veteran guys out there and I think that is where it kind of cost us a little bit because we really didn't know how to adjust ourselves because of the lack of experience a little bit on the guys that were having a lot of ice time. Hopefully this year these guys learned a lot. It shows already that they have learned a lot and they are a little more responsible in the way they play the game. Definitely this should be a better year for us when we get into the Playoffs, with everybody having these few years of experience of ice time in the Playoffs. Before they played in the Playoffs, but didn't do too much. Question: The All-Star Game, is it still exciting for you? Martin Brodeur: Oh, yeah. It is a great honor to be a part of it. Being an All-Star, I think everybody wants to taste it. Even though it is my fifth time I think this year makes it a little different because it is the 50th All-Star Game and they are going to put a great show on. I am glad to be a part of that. For my friends, family, and teammates it is really rewarding. I feel that, yes, it is me that is going, but I had to play these 40 games with my teammates and they really helped me out along the way to get to where I am. Question: Is it exciting for you to see Gomez get to go too? Is that rewarding as his teammate for all of you guys? Martin Brodeur: Oh, yeah. Scott is a great player and I think he has got a great attitude towards the game and it couldn't have happened to a better guy. I think it is going to be a great experience. It is going to be something that he is going to remember all of his life. I know when I played my first one it was something great. I got to me some great players and stuff and I think for him he will realize when he gets to Toronto how big the NHL could be and what kind of party they do towards the All-Star weekend. I think it is going to be good for his career to be able to live that that early in his career. Question: A couple of questions. One, Curtis Joseph was saying yesterday that forwards are in his face all game; he is starting to allow goals now because he is more worried about guys bumping him. He has got his territory in the crease and guys are running right through him. The question I have for you is have you noticed that the referees aren't calling any of that sort of stuff now?
Martin Brodeur: I had a few discussions with goalies and people from the NHL and with some of the referees about it and I think it is just a tough rule for the referees to really go out and make these calls because sometimes with two referees it makes it a little easier. But, now that they are allowed to be in the crease and they are allowed to interfere with you, until the puck comes at you, I think it leaves a lot of room for error for me. For the guy that comes in the crease; for the referee that gets screened that doesn't see it because there is no replay; there is nothing around him, so it makes it hard. I am not complaining about the way the referees are doing it. I think it is just a hard call to make because it happens pretty fast and everybody is celebrating after a goal and nobody has seen it but you, and you try to tell the referee, but he is not going to listen to you. Definitely it is a big difference from what we had before in the NHL with the reviews and stuff. I don't know what the solution to the problem that is going on right now and I don't know if they want to resolve it, but until a few goalies gets really hurt because of it maybe they will change that rule. Question: Second question, the attendance is down in New Jersey; it is down in a lot of places in the league. When you play in these buildings, do you take a look at the seats and say, 'Where are the people?' Martin Brodeur: I did before Christmas but I think it has been great since then. I think there is a lot of factors. It is not fun to play in front of an empty building, there is no doubt about it. But I think a lot of things, the millennium, the Y2K and the whole nine yards had a lot to do with people not coming to sports events. I think in basketball it was the same thing with the Nets. But it is coming around. I don't know if it is going to stay. I don't know if it was just the holidays or whatever but right now in New Jersey, we have been drawing real well, the last few games and around the League too, we went to Tampa Bay, it was a pretty decent crowd. So hopefully it is going to stay. I think it is a great sport. I think now with the better coverage after Christmas on TV and stuff, and everything out of the way, I think it should be better. Question: I was wondering when people talk about goalies out of Quebec they still talk about Patrick Roy, but yet you have incredible numbers. Does that bother you to be sort of somewhat lost in that sense? Martin Brodeur: No, I think he deserves everything that he has got as far as being mentioned as one of the first French goalies that everybody looks up to for to him as far as when they come in the NHL. I am young enough that maybe in ten years they will be able to say that about me. I think we have a seven years age difference. I think he deserves what he gets and hopefully I will get it when it is my time. But a lot of young goalies that I come across, I played against so it is really hard to idolize a guy that you have played against when you were young. Question: Is it hard to suck it up like you had to in Nagano and sit there and watch because we are thinking of Salt Lake where it is going to be a battle again? Martin Brodeur: It is just part of the game. I was just real happy to be selected to go over there. I was able to be, at least, a backup, I touched the ice there a few times in warmups. It was a great experience to go over there. I have no problem with the decision that they made at the time and it was the right decision. It just didn't work out as well as everybody would have loved it to. I just hope that if we go back to Salt Lake, I will have another chance and being there again would be great. I mean, it is out of my control. If I play and I get pulled or I don't do the job, that is where you have to worry about it. But now when you don't have a chance to do it, you can't really worry about it. Question: What was your reaction yesterday when you saw that Patrik Elias and Petr Sykora were not named to the World Team for the All-Star Game? Martin Brodeur: I think these two guys deserve maybe better than what they got this year. There is no doubt about it. There are a lot of different reasons why people are picked for the NHL All-Star Game and, you know, Patrik and Petr are guys that should have been there, but there is a lot of other guys they didn't get picked. There are a lot of different guys that could have gotten picked, but didn't. I see these guys every day and for sure, they belong in the game like that and they are young enough that I am sure they will have their shot at it later on in their career. Question: Do you think it has been seven years now that you have been with the Devils, is this the best you have seen this team play? Martin Brodeur: We have had some good teams. When you win the Eastern Conference three times and stuff, you have good teams. I think the mix that we have with the younger and the older players is really good right now. We are in first place and we don't feel we are at the top of our game right now yet. We are playing decent hockey, but we get in trouble a lot in different games against teams that we should put away and we are able to get away with it. So hopefully if we get our game a little more tuned up, I think it will be a good team later on in the season, there is no doubt. But to be the best team, I had some good teams that I played with. I think the experience factor, you know, plays a little bit in the last few years compared to the first couple of years I was here. Question: Patrick Roy has a situation in Colorado where he knows well in advance what games he is playing. I think they make out a week-to-week or month-to-month schedule. You played almost every game for New Jersey. I think you played all but three. Have you played too many games yet or will that start maybe catching up to you in March? Martin Brodeur: Well, it was just a matter of the kind of games and the schedule that we had that I was able to play that many games. I am sure down the stretch, you know, it is going to be a little different. But you know what, everybody goes to the rink, everybody plays hockey game. I know for a goalie, if you are able to do it, I don't know why you should sit down and look at hockey games if you are doing well and if your body permits you to do your job. I have a lot of respect for Scott Stevens who goes out there and plays 82 games the way he plays it. As far as the goalie, I know it is important that mentally that you rest yourself and I think down the stretch it is going to happen when we get a little tougher schedule or whatever. Whatever the coaches decide it is fine with me. It is not something that I am asking for. It is just something that is -- it is in front of me and it is offered to me. Question: Patrick Roy was trying to score a goal the other night. I think you have scored one. You got any tips for goalies who haven't scored? Martin Brodeur: Pure luck. It is a tough thing to do. You get just so many chances to do it and the situation has got to be right. You just hope that that first bounce that when you shoot it over to players, it is not going to go left or right, it is going to stay in the middle of the ice. A lot of times I miss goals just because of the spin of the puck, so I think just got to practice your shot if you want to get a goal one day. Question: You like getting more shots than .. Martin Brodeur: I don't mind it. I don't mind it at all. I don't think it is a question of getting more shots. I think it is just the quality of them. It is a little different than I was used to. I think it is a fun game. It is a little more rewarding. A lot of people, when I had all these years with 1.88 or 1.99...he is playing in front of a team, he doesn't get these great chances. But, now I am going out there and I compared the chances against with any other teams that I play against or you match it up pretty good. Even though I don't get the quantity of shots that maybe other goalies get, I think the quality of them are as great as any of the goalie that gets it. It makes it more fun and you make an impact every game that that big save that you make is going to make the difference in that hockey game.
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