Scores may refer to:

• Scores (computer virus), an early computer virus affecting Macintosh computers
• Scores (restaurant) in Canada

See also[link]

• SCORE (disambiguation)
• Score (disambiguation)
• The Score (disambiguation)

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Joel Pohjanpalo (born 13 September 1994) is a Finnish football player currently playing for Finnish football team HJK Helsinki.

Club career[link]

A product of local HJK Helsinki, Pohjanpalo emerged through the youth ranks, first appearing with the reserves in 2011 at the age of 16. During his first season at the third level , he went on making 21 appearances and scoring a record-breaking 33 league goals. ^[1] Due to his excellent performances with the reserves, Pohjanpalo signed a new contract with HJK on 7 December 2011, keeping him at the Finnish capital until 2015. ^[2]

Pohjanpalo made his Veikkausliiga debut in 26 October 2011, appearing as a starter against RoPS.

On 26 March 2012 Pohjanpalo spent one week on trial at Liverpool. He has been on trial earlier at Monaco. ^[3]

He returned to HJK Helsinki, and started in the club's first league match of the 2012 Veikkausliiga season on 15 April 2012, scoring a perfect hat-trick within the space of three minutes/162 seconds against IFK Mariehamn.^[4]

Statistics[link]

Club goals[link]

Last update: 12 May 2012.

¹Includes app & goals in Finnish League Cup.

References[link]

• (Finnish) Profile at hjk.fi

This biographical article relating to Finnish football is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Martin Brodeur
Martin Brodeur warms up prior to a 2007 game at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
Born	(1972-05-06) May 6, 1972 (age 40) Montreal, QC, CAN
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight	216 lb (98 kg; 15 st 6 lb)
Position	Goaltender
Catches	Left
NHL team	New Jersey Devils
National team	Canada
NHL Draft	20th overall, 1990 New Jersey Devils
Playing career	1991–present
Website	www.martinbrodeur30.com

Martin Pierre Brodeur (French pronunciation: [maʁtɛ̃ bʁɔdœʁ]; born May 6, 1972) is a Canadian ice hockey goaltender who has played his entire National Hockey League (NHL) career with the New Jersey Devils. In his 21-year tenure with the Devils, he has won three Stanley Cup championships and has been in the playoffs every year but two. Brodeur has won two Olympic gold medals with Team Canada in the 2002 and 2010 Winter Olympic Games, as well as several other medals with Team Canada in other international competitions.

Brodeur is the NHL's all-time leader in regular season wins (surpassing Patrick Roy in 2009), losses, shutouts, and games played, and holds numerous other league and franchise records.^[1] Brodeur has won at least 30 games in every season since 1995–96, with the exception of 2010–11 season and an injury-shortened 2008–09 season in which he played just 31 games, and is the only goalie in NHL history with eight 40-win seasons.^[2] He is a four-time Vezina Trophy winner, a five-time Jennings Trophy winner, a ten-time NHL All-Star, a Calder Memorial Trophy winner, and one of only two NHL goaltenders to score a goal in both the regular season and the playoffs.^[3][4]

Brodeur uses a hybrid style of goaltending by standing up more than butterfly style goalies.^[5][6] He is known for his puck handling, his positional play, and his reflexes, especially with his glove hand.^[6] Brodeur's prowess at puck handling directly led the NHL to change its rules regarding where goalies were allowed to handle the puck outside of the goal crease.^[7]

Early life[link]

Brodeur's success followed his father Denis, who played in the 1956 Olympics for Team Canada and won a bronze medal.^[8][9] After his playing career, Denis was a longtime photographer for the Montreal Canadiens. For more than 20 years, he attended all Montreal games and practices, and when Martin was old enough he came along. Martin idolized their goaltender Patrick Roy.^[10]

Martin started playing hockey as a forward. His goaltending career began when his coach asked him if he wanted to play as a backup at the position in a youth tournament. Martin explained:^[11]

The next season my coach came up to me and said, 'Do you want to be a goalie or forward this year?' It was the biggest decision of my life, and I was seven years old. I don't know why I decided, but I thought it would be fun to play goal.

Brodeur's play in goal was soon noticed by fans and scouts.^[12] In 1990, he made it to the Quebec Major Junior League. While playing with the Saint-Hyacinthe Laser, Brodeur made the QMJHL All-Rookie team and the QMJHL 2nd All-Star Team in 1992.

Brodeur was drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the first round (20th overall) in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft.

NHL career[link]

1991–95[link]

In the 1991–92 NHL season, he was called up to the Devils on an emergency basis for four games when Devils goaltenders Chris Terreri and Craig Billington became injured. Brodeur won his NHL debut against the Boston Bruins, 4–2,^[13] and played in one playoff game that season. He spent most of the season and the entire following season with the Utica Devils of the AHL. However, in the 1993–94 season, Brodeur gained recognition when he won the Calder Trophy, an annual award for the best rookie in the NHL, after leading the Devils to the second-best record in the league and the Eastern Conference Finals in the playoffs, where they lost to the New York Rangers in seven games.^[14] He finished 2nd in goals against average (2.40) and 4th in save percentage (.915) in 47 games played during the regular season, helping him eventually land the starting job over Terreri.

In the 1994–95 NHL season season, which was shortened to 48 games due to a four-month lockout that was focused on salary cap issues, the Devils finished tied for 9th overall, 5th in their conference, and they were not considered a Stanley Cup contender. With the leadership of Brodeur, they defeated the Boston Bruins in the 1st round after shutting them out in three of their four wins. In the second round against Pittsburgh, Brodeur gave up only eight goals and helped the Devils defeat the Penguins in five games. In the third round, the Devils defeated Philadelphia in six games, giving them their first Stanley Cup finals appearance in franchise history, against the heavily favoured Detroit Red Wings. The strong play of Brodeur and the Devils' infamous "trap" method made the series lopsided in favour of New Jersey, who swept the Red Wings 4 games to 0 while holding them to only seven goals in four games. Brodeur won a Stanley Cup in only his second full season in the NHL. After the victory, he was quoted as saying:^[4]

In the last game against Detroit, the time from ten minutes left to one minute left was probably the longest nine minutes of my life. But from one to zero was probably the greatest time I've ever had. I didn't want the clock to run out. It was such a great feeling: people crying in the stands, people jumping up and down, people cheering. Guys couldn't even sit up on the bench. It was probably the best minute of my life.

1995–99[link]

After a year of success, the Devils were in the middle of the pack for most of the 1995–96 season and barely missed the playoffs. Brodeur played in 74 of his team's 82 games, setting a single-season record for most minutes played by a goalie, while having the 2nd-most shutouts (6) in the league. He was named the starter in the All-Star Game for the Eastern Conference and stopped all 12 shots he faced.^[4] He finished fourth in voting for the Vezina Trophy, which is awarded to the league's top goaltender. Brodeur also played on Team Canada during the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, where Canada lost to the United States in the gold medal match.

In the 1996–97 season, the Devils finished 3rd in the NHL. Brodeur was runner-up for the Vezina Trophy, was named to the All-Star team, and had the lowest goals against average by a goalie in almost 30 years, earning him the Jennings Trophy. He also had 10 shutouts and a .927 save percentage. On April 17, 1997, in the first game of a first-round playoff matchup against the Montreal Canadiens, Brodeur fired the puck the length of the ice and into the Canadiens' empty net to ensure a 5–2 victory. It was only the second time in NHL history that a goaltender had scored in the playoffs, and the fifth time overall.^[15] The Devils went on to win that series, but lost in the second round to the rival New York Rangers.

The following year, Brodeur had 43 wins and 10 shutouts in the regular season. The Devils finished first in the Eastern Conference,^[16] but lost in the first round of the playoffs to the eighth-seeded Ottawa Senators.^[17] Once again, Brodeur made the All-Star Team, finished as a runner-up for the Vezina Trophy, and won the Jennings Trophy.^[18]

In the 1998–99 season, the Devils finished first in the Eastern Conference for the third straight year, with Brodeur winning 39 games. He was among the contenders for the Vezina Trophy and started in the All-Star game, making his fourth appearance. However, the Devils lost in the first round to the Penguins. It was the worst playoff performance in Brodeur's five-year career, as he allowed 20 goals in seven games with an .856 save percentage.^[19]

1999–2004[link]

During the 1999–2000 season, on February 15, 2000, Brodeur was credited with his second career goal, as Brodeur was the last Devils player on the ice to touch the puck before Daymond Langkow of the Philadelphia Flyers accidentally put the puck into his own empty net during a delayed penalty call against the Devils.^[20] Brodeur had previously tapped the puck behind his net, stopping an attempted wrap-around by a Philadelphia Flyer.

That season, Brodeur won 43 games for the second time in his career, and the Devils finished with the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference after losing the division to the Philadelphia Flyers by two points.^[21] Brodeur helped the Devils sweep the Florida Panthers in the first round, giving up only six goals in four games. In the next round against the Toronto Maple Leafs he recorded two shutouts, including one in the final game of the series as the Devils went on to win four games to two, setting up a showdown with rival Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Flyers took a commanding 3–1 series lead and had home ice to close out the series, but Brodeur gave up only one goal in each of the remaining three games of the series, propelling the Devils to the surprising come from behind series victory in 7 games. They went on to play the Dallas Stars in the Stanley Cup Finals, who had a higher seed but fewer regular season points, giving the Devils home ice advantage in the series. After taking game one with a 7-goal rally against Dallas, the Devils were led by Brodeur the rest of the way as he gave up only six goals in the next five games, giving the team their second Stanley Cup Championship in six years.^[22]

The next year, Brodeur topped the 40-win mark for the third time in his career, despite having an average GAA and save-percentage throughout the season. He played in the All-Star Game for the 6th consecutive season, and helped the Devils earn the top seed in the Eastern Conference. In the first round Brodeur recorded two shutouts against the Carolina Hurricanes and the Devils took the series in six games. After struggling to beat 7th-seeded Toronto in seven games, the Devils had little trouble defeating the 6th-seeded Penguins in the Eastern Conference Finals, where Brodeur added two more shutouts, both on the road. In their second straight Stanley Cup finals appearance, the Devils played a back-and-forth series against the top seeded Colorado Avalanche^[23][24], and lost in seven games.

Brodeur during pre-game warmups in March 2003

In the 2001–02 season, Brodeur finished among the league leaders in wins and GAA. Brodeur continued to lead the league in victories and remained a Vezina and MVP candidate. The next season, in 2002–03, Brodeur finally achieved what had been eluding him his whole career: the Vezina Trophy.^[25] He also won the Jennings Trophy again, was a Hart Memorial Trophy finalist for the league's Most Valuable Player, and was named a 1st Team All-Star and started in the All-Star Game. With one of the most impressive playoff performances of his career, Brodeur guided the Devils to their third Stanley Cup victory after dramatic seven-game series wins against the top-seeded Ottawa Senators and the surprising 7th-seeded Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. He posted 3 shutouts against Anaheim and had a playoff total of 7 overall,^[26] breaking Dominik Hašek's NHL record of 6 (Hašek had recorded his 6 shutouts for Detroit the previous year).^[27] Despite this, the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP was awarded to Anaheim goaltender Jean-Sébastien Giguère, who became the first player not on the championship team to be named playoff MVP since Ron Hextall of Philadelphia in 1987.^[28] Some hockey writers speculated a New Jersey player did not win because there were multiple candidates, resulting in a split vote among the sportswriters who selected the winner.^[29][30] In the 2003–04 season, Brodeur won his second consecutive Vezina Trophy and Jennings trophy. He was also a first Team All-Star, a starter in the NHL All-Star Game, and a finalist for the Hart Trophy again. The Devils lost the Atlantic Division title by 1 point to the Philadelphia Flyers, who had obtained the 3-seed and home ice advantage against the sixth seeded Devils in the first round of the playoffs. This would be too much for Brodeur and the Devils to overcome, as the Flyers went on to defeat them in five games.

The Brodeur Rule[link]

The goaltender trapezoids behind each goal, added by the NHL before the 2005–06 season, were widely viewed as singling out Brodeur for his puck-handling skills.

After the 2004–05 lockout and before the start of the 2005–06 season, the league instituted a new rule preventing goaltenders from playing the puck behind the goal line, except within a trapezoid-shaped zone located behind the net. The trapezoid begins at the goal line with angled lines six feet from each goal post and widens to 28 feet at the end boards.^[31] Former Flyers general manager Bobby Clarke was one of the leaders in getting the trapezoid implemented. This was viewed by many as singling out Brodeur, who was one of the best at getting behind the net to handle the puck, and has come to be known as the "Brodeur Rule".^[7][32]

At the 2009 NHL General Managers' Meeting it was discussed whether the rule should be eliminated as a solution to the increasing number of injuries on defensemen who are being hit hard by forechecking forwards. The forecheckers were no longer impeded by defensemen holding them up because of the crackdown on interference which created situations where defensemen were being hit at high speeds. Brodeur believed that revoking the trapezoid could result in more scoring and more exciting games. He explained, "If you give the liberty to the goalies to play the puck, they'll mess up more than they're successful." He also expressed his concern for defensemen, "It's a no-brainer if they want to start to eliminate these huge hits for the defensemen... Whenever my defensemen or somebody was getting a big hit, I felt guilty that I let that guy get hit like that. Now, I've got to sit and watch all the time... You've got to try to find something because so many guys are getting hurt." At the time of his statement, Devils defensemen Paul Martin, Johnny Oduya and Bryce Salvador were all out with injuries.^[33]

Ultimately the suggestion was rejected and the rule stayed in place. Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke said, "We had originally approved a rule where the goaltenders couldn't handle the puck behind the net at all. The game was turning into a tennis match. You'd dump it in and the goalie would throw it out and now with the soft chip into the corner it turns into a puck battle and a forecheck opportunity, which is what we wanted."^[34]

2005–09[link]

After the 2004–05 NHL lockout canceled the 2004–05 season, Brodeur signed a contract extension with the Devils on January 27, 2006, that would pay him $31.2 million over six years. In the 2005–06 season he posted 43 wins, adding on to his NHL records of what was now five 40-win seasons and ten consecutive 30-win seasons.^[35] After struggling early in the season, his impressive play later on made him a finalist for the Vezina Trophy for the third straight year,^[36] and helped lead the Devils to a surprising comeback in the last two months of the season that resulted in them winning the Atlantic Division in the final game of the year.^[37] In the first round of the playoffs, he beat the Rangers for the first time in his career, leading the Devils to a four-game sweep. But a 4–1 series loss to the Carolina Hurricanes eliminated the Devils in the next round.

Brodeur readies himself for action during a game in 2007.

In the 2006–07 season, Brodeur made his ninth NHL All-Star Game appearance in Dallas, Texas, won his third Vezina Trophy and rose on several NHL records lists. On December 9, 2006, he posted a 2–0 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers for his 462nd career win, moving him into 2nd place on the all-time list ahead of active goalie Ed Belfour of the Florida Panthers.^[38] Just a few weeks later, on December 26, Brodeur beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3–0 to record his 85th career shutout, moving him past Glenn Hall for 3rd place on that all-time list and 1st place among all active goalies.^[39] On February 1, 2007, Brodeur beat the Philadelphia Flyers 6–5 in overtime to take the all-time lead in overtime (non-shootout) wins with 45, passing childhood idol Patrick Roy.^[40] The Devils first 38 wins of the season were all with Brodeur in net, leading him to set a NHL record for most consecutive wins for a team.^[41]

On April 3, 2007, Brodeur tied the NHL record for most wins in a single season with 47, set by Bernie Parent in 1973–74, in a 2–1 shootout victory against the Ottawa Senators.^[42] Two days later, he broke the record with his 48th win in a 3–2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers, which helped the Devils clinch their seventh Atlantic Division title and the second seed in the Eastern Conference.

In the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the seventh-seeded Tampa Bay Lightning, Brodeur started out shaky and the Devils fell behind two games to one. He would come back strong, however, to finish the series, and helped the team advance in six games while passing Grant Fuhr for second place in all-time playoff victories. In the second round against the Ottawa Senators, Brodeur could not continue his stellar play and allowed 15 goals in only 5 games en route to a 4–1 series victory for the Senators.

Sean Avery attempts to distract Brodeur during game 3 of the first round of the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

In the 2007–08 season, Brodeur became the second goalie in NHL history to reach 500 wins with a victory against the Philadelphia Flyers on November 17, 2007. The only other goalie to achieve the feat is Patrick Roy. Brodeur was also named the starting goalie for the Eastern Conference in the 2007–08 NHL All Star Game in Atlanta. However, he was unable to participate because of a family obligation. New York Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro took over as starter of the game, while Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas took the last spot for goalies.

After losing a bitter series against the rival New York Rangers in the opening round of the 2008 NHL playoffs, Brodeur refused to shake Sean Avery's hand. During game three of the series, in an unusual move, Avery turned to face Brodeur during a 5-on-3 power play, and began waving his hands and stick in front of Brodeur's face in an effort to distract him. The day after this game the NHL announced that it had revised its unsportsmanlike conduct rule, now known as The Sean Avery Rule, effectively outlawing such antics.^[43]

Brodeur started wearing a new painted mask design for the 2008–09 NHL season with a stylized "MB30" on the front, replacing the "J" that had been on his mask for his entire NHL career. During a game on November 1, 2008, Brodeur suffered a "bruised elbow" which would later be diagnosed as a torn distal biceps tendon, the first major injury in his career. Following surgery on November 6, he would miss 16 weeks of the season before playing his next game on February 26, 2009. Upon returning from the injury, Brodeur registered a 4–0 shutout against the Colorado Avalanche for his 99th career shutout.^[44] Three days later, he recorded his 100th career shutout against the Philadelphia Flyers, three short of Terry Sawchuk's NHL record.

2009–present[link]

Brodeur playing in November 2011

Since 2009, Brodeur has broken and tied a number of career records for goaltenders, including:

• Most career wins, breaking Patrick Roy's record of 551.^[45][46]
• Most playoff shutouts 24.
• Most minutes played, breaking Patrick Roy's record of 60,235 minutes.
• Most games played, surpassing Patrick Roy's record of 1029.^[47]
• Most regular-season shutouts, breaking Terry Sawchuk's record of 103.

On December 30, 2009, Brodeur and the Devils shut out the Penguins, 2–0. It was his 105th career shutout, giving him the all-time professional record, surpassing George Hainsworth's total of 104 combined in the NHL (94) and Western Canada Hockey League (10). On April 6, 2010, Brodeur reached his 600th career win by defeating the Thrashers 3–0. This was also his 110th career shutout.

In the 2009–10 NHL season, Brodeur led the NHL in wins (45), shutouts (9), games played (77) and minutes played (4,499). He also won his fifth Jennings Trophy and had the third-best GAA in the league, leading his team to back-to-back division wins that included a 6–0 regular-season sweep of the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. However, the Devils lost in the first round of the playoffs, losing to the 7th-seeded team Philadelphia Flyers in five games. Brodeur went on to record 23 wins during the 2010–11 NHL season, which saw the Devils slump during the first half of the season, only to miss the playoffs narrowly after a hot winning streak during the season's latter half.

The Devils returned to the playoffs in the 2011–12 NHL season, as Brodeur recorded his 14th 30-win season. In Game 1 of the conference quarterfinals against the Florida Panthers, Brodeur became only the second goaltender to record 100 playoff wins in a 3–2 Devils victory. In Game 4 with a 4–0 victory, Brodeur broke the NHL career playoff shutout record with his 24th, surpassing Patrick Roy, who had 23.

International play[link]

Medal record
Men's ice hockey
Competitor for  Canada
Olympic Games
Gold	2002 Salt Lake City	Ice hockey
Gold	2010 Vancouver	Ice hockey
World Championships
Silver	1996 Austria	Ice hockey
Silver	2005 Austria	Ice hockey
World Cup
Silver	1996 Canada	Ice hockey
Gold	2004 Canada	Ice hockey

Brodeur was selected as Team Canada's back-up goalie to Patrick Roy for the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan; but did not get to play. Canada failed to win a medal after losing the bronze-medal match to Finland, a game in which many people thought Brodeur should have played.^[48]

In the 2002 Olympics at Salt Lake City, Utah, Brodeur was initially named the backup behind Curtis Joseph, but following Joseph's losing the tournament opener against Sweden, Brodeur was named the starting goaltender the rest of the way, and won gold for Canada. He had the best GAA in the tournament and went undefeated, stopping 31 of 33 shots in the gold-medal victory over Team USA.

Brodeur then led Team Canada to a World Cup of Hockey championship in 2004, allowing only 5 goals in five games. He led all goalies in GAA and save percentage while going undefeated. He had another impressive performance for the team at the world hockey championships in the following year. After this, The Sports Forecaster 2005–06 said the following:^[4]

Brodeur is arguably the top goaltender in the world. Fresh off a World Cup win in 2004 and another strong performance at the 2005 IIHF World hockey championships. He's the game's best puck-handling goaltender, though the NHL's new rules changes may somewhat alter that effectiveness.

Brodeur was selected as Team Canada's starter in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. He started in 4 of 6 games, but Canada failed to win a medal after losing to Russia in the quarterfinals.

He was one of the three goalies on Team Canada for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada. He registered a shootout win against Switzerland and a loss to the United States. After the loss to the US, he was benched for the remainder of the 2010 Games in favor of Roberto Luongo.

Brodeur has played for Canada in:

• 1995 IIHF World Championships (bronze)
• 1996 World Cup of Hockey (silver)
• 1998 Winter Olympic Games (4th place)
• 2002 Winter Olympic Games (gold)
• 2004 World Cup of Hockey (champion)
• 2005 IIHF World Championships (silver)
• 2006 Winter Olympics (lost quarterfinal)
• 2010 Winter Olympics (gold)

Personal life[link]

Brodeur married Melanie Dubois (a native of Saint-Liboire, Quebec, Canada) in August 1995 and has four children:^[49] Anthony, born in 1995; twin sons, William and Jeremy, born in 1996; and Annabelle Antoinette, born in 2002. Melanie filed for divorce during the 2003 playoffs amid reports that Martin was having an affair with Genevieve Nault, the wife of Melanie's brother.^[50] The incident added some fuel to the fire for hecklers during the playoffs.^[51] The reports proved to be true, as Martin and Genevieve married in June 2008.^[52] Their first child together, Maxime Philippe Brodeur, was born in November 2009.^[53]

Brodeur is regarded as an engaging raconteur in his spare time.^[9] He has hosted a street hockey tournament in his hometown of St. Leonard, Quebec, for each of the Devils' Stanley Cup championships, where he plays his childhood position of forward. His oldest brother, Denis Jr., is a photographer like their father, and his other older brother, Claude, was a pitcher in the Montreal Expos' farm system. He has two sisters, Line and Sylvie.

In 2005, Brodeur began co-authoring his autobiography, Brodeur: Beyond the Crease, with long-time Toronto Star columnist and ESPN contributor Damien Cox, which was released in October 2006. Some of the things Brodeur talks about in the book are player salaries and contracts, NHL marketing, Lou Lamoriello, and the Devils' new arena in Newark, the Prudential Center. Brodeur also includes his views on the "new NHL" after the lockout, and how it affects his career.^[54] The book's photographs were shot by Martin's father, Denis.

Brodeur co-owns a business called "La Pizzeria Etc." with former teammate Sheldon Souray. The idea came about after Souray was traded to play in Montreal, the city in which the business now operates.^[55] Brodeur is a co-owner of the Spa d'Howard, also based in his native Quebec.

Brodeur was a resident of North Caldwell, New Jersey,^[56] and currently resides in West Orange, New Jersey, near the Devils former practice facility, South Mountain Arena. He became a naturalized United States citizen on December 1, 2009, but per IIHF rules would only be able to compete for Canada.^[57]

Career statistics[link]

Bolded numbers indicate league leader.

Italicized numbers indicate NHL records.

Regular season[link]

Statistics are through the 2011–12 season.

Playoffs[link]

International[link]

Bolded numbers indicate tournament leader.

Legacy[link]

Milestones[link]

Brodeur, in net during the 2005–06 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Brodeur is the youngest goaltender in NHL history to reach the 300, 400 and 500 regular season win plateaus, and is the only goaltender to reach 600 regular season wins (he currently stands at 656 wins). His 300th victory came on December 15, 2001, with a 39-save shutout against the Ottawa Senators at the Corel Centre. His 400th victory was on March 23, 2004, at the Office Depot Center in Sunrise, Florida, as the Devils defeated the hometown Florida Panthers. Brodeur stopped twenty-one shots, and needed to work overtime to get the win. With the victory he also became the first goaltender to win 400 games playing every game for the same team.^[4] Brodeur reached the 500 win plateau on November 17, 2007, against the Philadelphia Flyers, with a 6–2 win. On March 15, 2008, he earned his seventh 40-win season of his career, the most of any goaltender in NHL history. On April 6, 2010, Brodeur reached 600 wins with a 3–0 shutout over the Atlanta Thrashers. On April 5, 2012, in a 2–1 win over the Detroit Red Wings, he reached his 14th 30-win season, again the most of any NHL goaltender.

On March 14, 2009, Brodeur recorded his 551st career win against the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre to tie Patrick Roy for the most in NHL history in his hometown and where Roy played the first half of his career. To acknowledge their fellow countryman, the crowd of Canadiens fans chanted Brodeur's name at the end of the game and gave him a standing ovation. Brodeur's father Denis was at the game taking pictures.^[58] Three nights later, in a 3–2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks, Brodeur became the all-time NHL leader in regular season wins by a goaltender with 552.

On November 27, 2009, Brodeur broke the record for most minutes ever played by an NHL goaltender, breaking Patrick Roy's record of 60,235.^[59]

On December 7, 2009, Brodeur tied Sawchuk's record for regular season shutouts at 103 in a 3–0 victory over the Buffalo Sabres. Twelve nights later, Brodeur broke the record set by Patrick Roy for games played by a goaltender in the National Hockey League (1,030 games). Two weeks after tying Sawchuk's shutout record, Brodeur recorded his 104th regular season shutout, breaking Sawchuk's record with a 4–0 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins, stopping all 35 shots. On December 30, 2009, Brodeur and the Devils again shut out the Pittsburgh Penguins, 2–0. It was his 105th career shutout, giving him the all-time professional record, surpassing George Hainsworth's total of 104 combined in the NHL (94) and Western Canada Hockey League (10).

On April 19, 2012, Brodeur passed Patrick Roy's record for most career playoff shutouts at 24 in a 4–0 victory over the Florida Panthers.

Records[link]

In over 16 seasons with the New Jersey Devils, Brodeur owns several notable NHL records as listed below. Most of these records Brodeur has broken were held by goalies who have played at least a full 20 year career.

Career[link]

The final seconds and post-game celebration of Brodeur's 552nd win on March 17, 2009, against the Chicago Blackhawks at the Prudential Center.

• Most regular season wins: 656
• Most regular season shutouts: 119
• Most playoff shutouts: 24
• Most shutouts, regular season & playoffs combined: 143
• Most overtime wins: 45
• Most 40-win seasons: 8
• Most 30-win seasons: 14
• Most consecutive 40-win seasons: 3 (tied with Evgeni Nabokov)
• Most consecutive 35-win seasons: 11
• Most consecutive 30-win seasons: 12
• Youngest goalie to reach 300, 400 and 500 career wins
• Only goalie to reach 600 career wins
• Most career saves: 27,312
• Most games played by an NHL goaltender: 1,191
• Most total minutes played by an NHL goaltender: 70,028
• Only NHL goalie to score a game-winning goal
• Most career goals by a goaltender, including playoffs: 2 (tied with Ron Hextall)
• Only goalie in NHL history to play 1,100 or more games with one team

Regular season[link]

• Most wins in a single season (48, in 2006–07)
• Most minutes played in a single season (4697, in 2006–07)

Playoffs[link]

These statistics are accurate as of the end of the 2011 NHL Playoffs.

• Most shutouts in a playoff campaign (7, in 2003)
• Most shutouts in a Stanley Cup final (3, in 2003; tied with Toronto Maple Leafs' Frank McCool)
• Third goaltender to win the Stanley Cup with a Game 7 shutout in 2003.
• First goaltender in history to have 3 shutouts in two different playoff series (1995 against Boston in the Conference Quarterfinals, 2003 against Anaheim in the Stanley Cup final.)

Brodeur has also acquired more than 30 franchise records, including most all-time, regular season and playoff wins, shutouts, games lowest goals-against-average, and is second in games played (1191) as a Devil to Ken Daneyko's 1283 games. The only major awards he has yet to win are the Hart Trophy given to the regular season's most valuable player, and the Conn Smythe Trophy, granted annually to the most outstanding player in the postseason.

Awards[link]

• Calder Memorial Trophy — 1994
• NHL 1st All-Star Team — 2003, 2004, 2007
• NHL 2nd All-Star Team — 1997, 1998, 2006, 2008
• NHL All-Rookie Team — 1994
• ESPY — 1996, Outstanding Performance Under Pressure^[60]
• NHL All-Star Game — 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008
• Olympic Gold Medal — 2002, 2010
• Primus World'Stars Challenge Bowl — 2004
• QMJHL 2nd All-Star Team — 1992
• QMJHL All-Rookie Team — 1990
• Stanley Cup — 1995, 2000, 2003
• Vezina Trophy — 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008
• William M. Jennings Trophy — 1997 (with Mike Dunham), 1998, 2003 (tied Roman Čechmánek & Robert Esche), 2004, 2010 tied most all time with Patrick Roy
• World Cup of Hockey Championship — 2004

See also[link]

• List of goaltenders who have scored a goal in an NHL game
• List of NHL players with 1000 games played
• List of NHL statistical leaders
• New Jersey Devils notable players and award winners

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Martin Brodeur

• Official website of Martin Brodeur
• Martin Brodeur's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
• Martin Brodeur's NHL player profile
• Martin Brodeur's biography at Legends of Hockey
• List of NHL victories

Kobe Bryant

Bryant greeting some fans in February 2007
No. 24 – Los Angeles Lakers
Shooting guard
Personal information
Born	(1978-08-23) August 23, 1978 (age 33) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Nationality	American
High school	Lower Merion HS, Ardmore, Pennsylvania
Listed height	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight	205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
NBA Draft	1996 / Round: 1 / Pick: 13th overall
Selected by the Charlotte Hornets
Pro career	1996–present
Career history
1996–present	Los Angeles Lakers
Career highlights and awards
5× NBA Champion (2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010) 2× NBA Finals MVP (2009–2010) NBA Most Valuable Player (2008) 14× NBA All-Star (1998, 2000–2012) 2× NBA scoring champion (2006–2007) 10× All-NBA First Team (2002–2004, 2006–2012) 2× All-NBA Second Team (2000–2001) 2× All-NBA Third Team (1999, 2005) 9× NBA All-Defensive First Team (2000, 2003–2004, 2006–2011) 3× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (2001–2002, 2012) NBA All-Rookie Second Team (1997) 4× NBA All-Star Game MVP (2002, 2007, 2009, 2011) NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion (1997) Naismith Prep Player of the Year (1996)
Stats at NBA.com
Medals Men's basketball Competitor for the  United States Olympic Games Gold 2008 Beijing National Team FIBA Americas Championship Gold 2007 Las Vegas Team competition

Kobe Bean Bryant (born August 23, 1978) is an American professional basketball player who plays shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Bryant enjoyed a successful high school basketball career at Lower Merion High School, where he was recognized as the top high school basketball player in the country. He decided to declare his eligibility for the NBA Draft upon graduation, and was selected with the 13th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets, then traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. As a rookie, Bryant earned himself a reputation as a high-flyer and a fan favorite by winning the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest.

Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal led the Lakers to three consecutive NBA championships from 2000 to 2002. A heated feud between the duo and a loss in the 2004 NBA Finals was followed by O'Neal's trade from the Lakers after the 2003–04 season. Following O'Neal's departure Bryant became the cornerstone of the Los Angeles Lakers franchise. He led the NBA in scoring during the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons, setting numerous scoring records in the process. In 2006, Bryant scored a career-high 81 points against the Toronto Raptors, the second most points scored in a single game in NBA history, second only to Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game in 1962. He was awarded the regular season's Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) in 2008. After losing in the 2008 NBA Finals, Bryant led the Lakers to two consecutive championships in 2009 and 2010, earning the NBA Finals MVP Award on both occasions.

As of February 2012^[update], Bryant ranks third and fifth on the league's all-time post-season scoring and all-time regular season scoring lists, respectively. He is also the all-time leading scorer in Lakers franchise history. Since his second year in the league, Bryant has started in every NBA All-Star Game that has been held with fourteen All-Star appearances, winning the All-Star MVP Award four times (2002, 2007, 2009, and 2011). Bryant is tied for the most All Star MVP Awards in NBA history. He is a 14-time member of the All-NBA team and an 12-time member of the All-Defensive team; he is also the youngest player ever to receive defensive honors. At the 2008 Olympics, he won a gold medal as a member of the USA national team. In 2009, Sporting News and TNT named Bryant the top NBA player of the 2000s decade.

In 2003, Bryant was accused of sexual assault after having sex with a hotel employee in Colorado. In September 2004, prosecutors dropped the case after his accuser refused to testify. A civil suit was later filed and settled out of court.

Early years[link]

Childhood and youth[link]

Kobe Bryant was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as the youngest of three children and the only son of former Philadelphia 76ers player and former Los Angeles Sparks head coach Joe "Jellybean" Bryant and Pamela Cox Bryant.^[1] He is also the maternal nephew of John "Chubby" Cox. His parents named him after the famous beef of Kobe, Japan, which they saw on a restaurant menu.^[1] Bryant was raised Roman Catholic.^[2] When Bryant was six, his father left the NBA and moved his family to Italy to continue playing professional basketball.^[3] Bryant became accustomed to his new lifestyle and learned to speak Italian and Spanish.^[3][4] During summers, he would come back to the United States to play in a basketball summer league.^[5]

Bryant started playing basketball when he was 3 years old,^[6] and his favorite team growing up was the Lakers.^[7] Bryant's grandfather would mail him videos of NBA games, which Bryant would study.^[7] At an early age he also learned to play soccer; his favorite team is AC Milan.^[8] He has said that if he had stayed in Italy, he would have tried to become a professional soccer player;^[8] Bryant is a big fan of former FC Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard and their former player Ronaldinho.^[9] Upon Joe Bryant's retirement from playing basketball in 1991, the Bryant family moved back to the United States.

High school[link]

Bryant's retired No.33 jersey and banner at the Lower Merion High School gym.

Bryant earned national recognition during a spectacular high school career at Lower Merion High School located in the Philadelphia suburb of Lower Merion. As a freshman, he played for the varsity basketball team.^[10] His father coached him his second year of high school. Although during his first year the team was mediocre, the following three years the Aces compiled a 77–13 record, with Bryant playing all five positions.^[10] During his junior year, he averaged 31.1 points, 10.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists and was named Pennsylvania Player of the Year.^[11] College recruiters from across the country were lined up to recruit him after his breakout year.^[11] Duke, North Carolina, Villanova and Michigan were at the top of his list; however, when Kevin Garnett went in the first round of the 1995 NBA Draft, he began considering going directly to the pros.^[11]

At Adidas ABCD camp, Bryant earned the 1995 senior MVP award,^[12] while playing alongside future NBA teammate Lamar Odom.^[13] While in high school, then 76ers coach John Lucas invited Bryant to work out and scrimmage with the team, where he played one-on-one with Jerry Stackhouse.^[14] In his senior year of high school, Bryant led the Aces to their first state championship in 53 years. During the run, he averaged 30.8 points, 12 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 4.0 steals, and 3.8 blocked shots in leading the Aces to a 31–3 record.^[15] Bryant ended his high school career as Southeastern Pennsylvania's all-time leading scorer at 2,883 points, surpassing both Wilt Chamberlain and Lionel Simmons.^[16]

Bryant received several awards for his performance his senior year including being named Naismith High School Player of the Year, Gatorade Men's National Basketball Player of the Year, a McDonald's All-American, and a USA Today All-USA First Team player.^[17] Bryant's varsity coach, Greg Downer, commented that Bryant was "a complete player who dominates".^[15] In 1996, Bryant took R&B singer Brandy Norwood to his senior prom,^[18] though the two were, and remain, just friends. Ultimately, however, the 17-year-old Bryant made the decision to go directly into the NBA, only the sixth player in NBA history to do so.^[10] Bryant's news was met with a lot of publicity at a time when prep-to-pro NBA players were not very common (Garnett being the only exception in 20 years).^[10] His SAT score of 1080^[19] would have ensured his basketball scholarship to various top-tier colleges and Bryant has stated that had he decided to go to college after high school, he would have attended Duke University.^[20] In 2012, Bryant was honored as one of the 35 Greatest McDonald's All-Americans.^[21]

NBA career[link]

1996 NBA Draft[link]

The first guard to ever be taken out of high school, Bryant was chosen as the 13th overall draft pick by the Charlotte Hornets in 1996.^[22] According to Arn Tellem, Bryant's agent at the time, Bryant playing for the Charlotte Hornets was "an impossibility".^[23] However, Bill Branch, the Hornets' head scout at the time, said that the Hornets agreed to trade their draft selection to the Lakers before picking Bryant. The teams agreed to the trade the day before the draft and the Lakers did not tell the Hornets who to select until five minutes before the pick was made.^[24] Branch said that prior to the trade agreement, the Hornets never even considered drafting Bryant. Prior to the draft, Bryant had worked out in Los Angeles, in which he scrimmaged against former Lakers players Larry Drew and Michael Cooper, and according to then-Laker manager Jerry West "marched over these people".^[25] On July 1, 1996, West traded his starting center, Vlade Divac, to the Hornets in exchange for Bryant's draft rights.^[26] Since he was still 17 at the time of the draft, his parents had to cosign his contract with the Lakers until he was able to sign his own when he turned 18 before the season began.^[27]

First three seasons (1996–99)[link]

During his rookie season, Bryant mostly came off the bench behind guards Eddie Jones and Nick Van Exel.^[28] At the time he became the youngest player ever to play in an NBA game (a record since broken by Jermaine O'Neal and Andrew Bynum), and also became the youngest NBA starter ever.^[29] Initially, Bryant played limited minutes, but as the season continued, he began to see some more playing time. By the end of the season, he averaged 15.5 minutes a game. During the All-Star weekend, Bryant was the winner of the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest, becoming the youngest player to be named the slam dunk champion at the age of 18.^[30] Bryant's performance throughout the year earned him a spot on the NBA All Rookie second team with fellow bench teammate Travis Knight.^[31] His final minutes of the season ended in disaster when he shot 4 air balls at crucial times in the game.^[15] He first missed a jumper to win the game in the 4th quarter and 3 three-pointers in overtime (2 of which would have tied the game in the final minute). With that the Utah Jazz ended the playoffs for the Lakers in the second round. Shaquille O'Neal commented years later that "[Bryant] was the only guy who had the guts at the time to take shots like that."^[32][33]

In Bryant's second season, he received more playing time and began to show more of his abilities as a talented young guard. As a result Bryant's point averages more than doubled from 7.6 to 15.4 points per game.^[34] Bryant would see an increase in minutes when the Lakers "played small", which would feature Bryant playing small forward along side the guards he'd usually back up.^[35] Bryant was the runner-up for the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year Award,^[36] and through fan voting, he also became the youngest NBA All-Star starter in NBA history.^[37] He was joined by teammates Shaquille O'Neal, Nick Van Exel, and Eddie Jones, making it the first time since 1983 that four players on the same team were selected to play in the same All-Star Game. Bryant's 15.4 points per game was the highest of any non-starter in the season.^[38]