A decade into retirement, Marty Brodeur has found his happy place in Devils’ front office
One of the strangest things in hockey is watching long-tenured players leave their initial teams and move on to (presumably) greener pastures to end their careers. Daniel Alfredsson finishing his career with the Detroit Red Wings after a long run as Ottawa Senators captain was a bizarre sight, while watching Ray Bourque hoist the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche after two decades with the Boston Bruins will forever be one of the most iconic moments in NHL history.
There are many examples of players finishing their careers across enemy lines, but few were more bizarre than seeing Martin Brodeur do so with the St. Louis Blues. After moving on from the New Jersey Devils in 2014, Brodeur suited up in just seven games for the Blues before calling it a career early in the 2014-15 campaign.
Talking to a lot of former teammates in the twilight of his playing career, Brodeur knew he wanted to stay in the game in some capacity.
“At the end (of my career), (Blues GM) Doug Armstrong offered me the chance to shadow him around to finish out the year – I still had my apartment,” Brodeur told Daily Faceoff. “He named me ‘special advisor to the GM,’ and it gave me the opportunity to see how everything worked and to see if I liked it.
“That’s how (my management career) started. After the season Doug offered me the job as an assistant GM with the Blues which I did for three years.”
After three seasons working in the Blues’ hockey operations department, Brodeur returned to the Devils on the business side. He spent three years working on the business side with the Devils before transitioning to their hockey operations department. He described it as a very important step, learning all the facets of the team and different areas of how an organization is run. But returning to hockey operations was always his end goal.
“When I had a chance to go back to hockey operations with (Devils GM) Tom Fitzgerald I jumped right in,” Brodeur said.
Holding the title of executive vice-president, Brodeur is a key part of the hockey operations brain trust including Dan MacKinnon, Kate Madigan, Chuck Fletcher and Al Santilli. Brodeur aids Fitzgerald in hockey-related decisions, using his connections around the league with players, agents and coaches he’s become familiar with over his career – both on and off the ice – as well as keeping up to date with the amateur scouts for draft-related reasons.
But as one of the game’s best goaltenders of all time, Brodeur has a specific hand in that department for the Devils.
“I manage the goaltending group we have, as far as the hiring of goalie scouts, development coaches and work with them all year with weekly meetings,” Brodeur said.
Being a leader can come in a lot of different forms when you deal with others; it can help a lot when you have the pedigree that Brodeur does with his success on the ice. With three Stanley Cups, two Olympic Gold medals, a hall of fame induction and countless individual accolades, Brodeur utilizes his winning experiences as one of the top leaders in the Devils organization.
“It helps because people are always curious about what it takes to win, what winning looks like,” Brodeur said. “When you’re part of different teams at different levels – Olympics, Stanley Cup final – as well as the ups and down, seeing as how I won three (Stanley Cups) but lost in two other Finals. A lot of players are curious; there are still a few that I played against in the league. These guys come in and like to pick my brain.
“It’s an asset that I have that helps out the group overall.”
Coming up the ranks as a young executive can be difficult for a former player trying to make the transition, so good guidance is essential. Finishing his career with the Blues, Brodeur was able to dip his initial toe in management working under one of the best GMs of the last two decades in Armstrong. A winner of a Stanley Cup and now heading up Team Canada at the international level, Armstrong is one of the best mentors someone like Brodeur could’ve wanted to pick the brain of early in his managerial career.
Beyond that, Brodeur was able to play under a legendary executive in Lou Lamoriello in New Jersey while being able to now work under a seasoned manager in Fitzgerald.
“I was fortunate to play under one of the best (Lamoriello), and Doug helped me out to get me into hockey management,” said Brodeur. “Fitzgerald – we came in at the same time during the transition from (former Devils GM) Ray Shero – and I have been together for three or four years now. We have built something pretty strong together in New Jersey.”
The Devils have been knocking on the door of being a true Cup contender for several years but have struggled to do so consistently. A strong nucleus of Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt is among the more impressive young groups in the league, but a combination of being unable to stay healthy (Hughes, specifically) and string together consistent performances in the playoffs has kept the Devils from getting over the next hump. But Brodeur believes in the team’s process.
“We have a good mix of younger and older players,” Brodeur said. “It’s a matter of getting a little more depth, staying healthy – our injuries have really hurt us the past few years. We are dynamic offensively and the acquisition of (goaltender) Jacob Markstrom has really helped us out in net along with a great backup in Jake Allen. There aren’t many missing pieces but you’re always trying to find ways to improve; we could get a bit bigger to compete with a team like the (reigning two time champions) Florida Panthers. It’s a copycat league.
“With the skill that we have, we are trying to get bigger in certain areas of our lineup that could help us get through tougher playoff rounds.”
Some players elect to transition into coaching upon retirement in favor of management, but it was never something that interested Brodeur. Upon retiring with the Blues as a player, Brodeur became the de facto goaltending coach for about three months for the team while working under Armstrong as an advisor to finish the 2014-15 season. The grind of coaching and time needed to invest in being at the rink was not something that Brodeur wanted to explore after so many years grinding as a goaltender who played so many games. Being in his current management role has allowed Brodeur to still live the hockey life (which was essential to him) while also keeping a strong balance for his family life.
Brodeur has risen the ranks to near the top of the Devils’ organization, but he is still not the one driving the bus as the ultimate decision maker. After years of having a heavy hand in hockey operations decisions as the Devils’ executive VP, could becoming a GM be in the cards for Brodeur down the line?
“It is something I would entertain but not now,” said Brodeur. “My son has three more years before he goes off to college and (maybe after that) I’m sure I’ll want to have a little more responsibility. But it’s not something I’m looking towards; I love what I’m doing right now, and I wouldn’t change it for anything.
“It’s not something I’m (actively) looking for, but you never know in the future.”
After such a successful on-ice career, the potential of Brodeur’s success in management is limitless. With so many team and individual accolades to his name and a wealth of experience to help out those around him, Brodeur is well set to continue helping build the Devils to where they were 25 years ago when he was backstopping them in the crease.
Brodeur’s resume speaks for itself on the ice, and his off-ice career will go as far as he wants to take it.
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