Soon to be 43-year-old free agent goaltender Martin Brodeur has appeared in 1259 NHL games, all with the New Jersey Devils, over a 21-year career, posting a 688-394-154 record, a .912 career SV% and a 2.24 career GAA, according to NHL.com.
He became a free agent for the first time in his two decade career in July and, while many have assumed he would ride off into the sunset with his three Stanley Cup victories and plethora of other hardware, he continues saying he won't give up on playing this season.
"I still have the fire," Brodeur said, according to Yahoo! Sports' Nicholas J. Cotsonika. "I'd like to play again. But it's understandable, with the quality of goaltending around the league - the youth of the quality goaltending, I should say - is pretty tremendous. We'll see if my experience is valued to turn an organization around."
While speaking with reporters at Monday's Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremony, Brodeur again reiterated his desire to play, while admitting that the wait has been "getting a little long," Chris Johnston of Sportsnet reported.
He also said that he continues to work out, but that playing for Team Canada at the Spengler Cup, which was offered to him earlier this year, according to Stephen Whyno of The Canadian Press, is not something he's interested in; it's NHL-or-bust for old Marty.
Brodeur's return to an NHL lineup is most likely contingent on an unfortunate injury to a playoff bound team's starting netminder. He has said previously that he's most interested in returning to play for a contender, but there has also been word that he and New Jersey Devils GM Lou Lamoriello stay in constant contact and, should a contender not come calling, his former team could be a landing spot for him. Their starter, Cory Schneider, is about to make his record 19th straight start, and could use a quality back up behind him to give him a night off every now and then.
"I'm willing to play any kind of role that will be offered to me to a certain extent - in the right fit, in the right market," Brodeur said. "For me, it's not about ego or anything. I just love to play the game. I know I could help a team out somehow, and I just want to try to get an opportunity. The role will be the role that will be assigned to me."
Brodeur, while no longer the player he once was, would be an upgrade on what many teams in the league are currently icing - whether or not he can find a fit before the end of the season is entirely up to him and the Hockey Gods.