WATCH | Considered one of the greatest hockey goalies of all time, three-time Stanley Cup champion Martin Brodeur granted Circa exclusive behind-the-scenes access this weekend, when the New Jersey Devils honored him with a statue dedication ceremony.
"To get a statue of yourself, you know, is kind of a little mind-boggling," Brodeur said.
The Devils retired Brodeur's jersey, number 30, in February, but decided that wasn't enough.
From the moment Brodeur walked into the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., arena staffers, former teammates and fans greeted "Marty" during his Saturday homecoming. Circa's Snapchat account captured these kinds of moments while shadowing Brodeur during the afternoon and evening.
One thing Brodeur doesn't miss
Brodeur caught up with former teammates Ken Daneyko (now an analyst for MSG Networks) and Kevin Weekes (an analyst for NHL Network and ESPN).
Brodeur also conducted round after round of media interviews. And while he still fields the occasional question as an assistant general manager for the St. Louis Blues, Brodeur admitted he's happy to leave the daily grind of media interviews behind. "I don't miss that at all," he told Circa with a laugh. "That's for sure."
Weekes hosted the statue ceremony, where fans cheered for their beloved goalie.
@NJDevils Marty Brodeur walking right to our set. He'll be be our live guest at 1st Intermission @MSGNetworks MSG+ pic.twitter.com/UEn5joxM6i
— Deb Placey (@DebPlacey) October 22, 2016
"I just want to thank everyone again for this opportunity to come back home," Brodeur said.
The current Devils also honored Brodeur with his signature salute beside the statue.
WATCH | Soft-spoken and relaxed off the ice, he was a fierce competitor in the rink. And he's got the trophies to prove it: In addition to winning three Stanley Cups, the Montréal native won four Vezina Trophies (awarded to the National Hockey League's best goalie) and two gold medals for Canada.
The 10-time NHL all-star also holds or shares quite a few NHL records, including:
- Most career regular-season wins by a goalie (691)
- Most career saves (28,928)
- Most single-season wins by a goalie (48)
- Most career regular-season shutouts (125)
- Most playoff shutouts (24)
- Most shut-outs in one postseason (7)
- Most career games played (1,266)
Taylor #Hall's goal in OT gives #Devils' 2-1 win over #Wild - https://t.co/JKzNobcb9P pic.twitter.com/ZvS9saDRln
— John Connolly (@connman22) October 23, 2016
The night had the perfect ending for Devils fans: Taylor Hall's game-winning goal in overtime.
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