Martin Brodeur has a privileged point of view on the careers of Patrick Roy and Marc-André Fleury. He idolized the first and inspired the second. He was also their teammate briefly: Roy at the Nagano Games in 1998, Fleury at the Vancouver Games in 2010.

Brodeur also faced Roy in the 2001 Stanley Cup Final and Fleury numerous times as a division rival.

“We’re not the greatest friends,” Brodeur admits. On the other hand, when we meet, we talk. There is mutual respect, not just between goalkeepers, but between Quebecers. »

Brodeur developed a greater bond with Fleury at the Vancouver Games, as the two were backups behind number 1 goalie Roberto Luongo. “We had a few beers together! “, remembers Brodeur.

“When I beat Patrick, he came to see me in Montreal to congratulate me. Then I built a good lead over Patrick, I took that to 691 wins. But if my record is broken one day, it will make me happy to go and congratulate the guy, because I’ve been through it, I know how hard it is. »

Brodeur reconnected with Fleury in early November, when the Devils (Broudre is vice-president of hockey operations) visited the Wild. He took the opportunity to congratulate Fleury in advance, not for the 551 victories, but for the 1000 games, a number he reached Sunday against the Jets.

What does a conversation between Martin Brodeur and Marc-André Fleury look like? “I was asking him how his family was doing, how his season was going. He plays in the West, I see him less. The 1000 matches will be big. It’s just me, Patrick and Roberto Luongo who [did] it. I just wanted to congratulate him in advance, because I probably won’t be there when it happens. »