Martin Brodeur doesn’t have the answers to Canada’s goaltending development woes, but he is confident in its choices for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off.
Brodeur, 52, is the NHL’s all-time leader in wins and shutouts. The top five in both categories are all Canadians, however, in recent years the country hasn’t generated elite goalies the way it used to.
“It’s kind of mind-boggling a little bit, we went through a phase in Canada with (Marc-Andre) Fleury and Carey Price and (you) name it, there’s so many good goalies that came through Canada,” said Brodeur on the JD Bunkis Podcast on Thursday. “If I were to be able to figure out the reason why, I would try to help somebody. I just don’t know what it is.”
Team Canada announced its 4 Nations Face-Off roster on Wednesday and selected goalies Jordan Binnington (St. Louis Blues), Adin Hill (Vegas Golden Knights), and Sam Montembeault (Montreal Canadiens).
“If you play in the NHL, it means you’re a really good goalie. So, the three guys that were selected will do the job,” said Brodeur. “They’re legit NHL goalies and you’re going to play in front of a team that’s going to be well structured.”
Hill, Binnington, and Montembeault rank 22nd (2.67), 30th (2.87), and 36th (2.99) in goals against average, respectively.
“I have good faith in the three goalies that Doug (Armstrong) and his group picked,” said Brodeur.
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