By Andrew Allsman| Posted: May 20, 2015| Contact |
When former goaltender Martin Brodeur first arrived in St.
Louis, he did so with an uncertain future. Now, he will be with the Blues for
the next three seasons after signing a three-year contract to be the club’s assistant general manager.
Brodeur, who turned 43 earlier this month, spent the latter part of last season in an advising position, shadowing general manager Doug Armstrong. Brodeur’s role saw him traveling with the team and consulting in various positions to better understand the daily tasks of an NHL general manager.
While he will be placed in a more specific position with his new job title, Brodeur will continue learning from Armstrong in a city where he now feels comfortable.
“I’m really excited to join the organization," Brodeur said via conference call on Thursday. "I had a really good learning curve last season. That played a lot into making the decision to stay long-term here in St. Louis and I’m really excited about the opportunity.”
Prior to his front office role last season, Brodeur spent 22 seasons in the NHL as a goaltender, 21 of those with New Jersey. He joined the Blues last December when Brian Elliott went down with a significant knee injury. After seven games and a 3-3 record, Brodeur retired in January and stayed with the team in a front-office position. But the role consisted mostly of part-time shadowing.
“I think last year when he came in, he was coming in to help
us on the ice. Then we got healthy in goal and he told me he still wanted to
participate in a team structure, as far as being around. It gave me a good
opportunity to get to know him, travelling with him and getting his
understanding of the game. (We) talked about playing on winning teams, the
characteristics of winning clubs of championship teams and championship
players. That just sort of led into what he wanted to do moving forward.”
At the end of the season, Armstrong indicated that he would look to potentially bring Brodeur back, this time in a larger, more defined role.
“He and I had a quick conversation,” Armstrong said after the season. “I think he really enjoyed the freedom he had this year with
the group, but part-time jobs are only good for so long and then you want a
bigger piece. We need him to take a bigger chunk of what we are doing.”
When the season ended, it was uncertain as to whether or not Brodeur
would want to stay with the Blues or return to New Jersey, where he spent
almost all of his Hall-of-Fame career. Word began leaking last week that
Brodeur and the Blues had a mutual interest in reaching an agreement, but the contract wasn’t finalized until Armstrong returned from the Czech Republic,
where he was taking in the IIHF World Championships.
Brodeur did not pursue any other jobs, nor did he even discuss the possibility of joining a different organization after the season. Following the end-of-the-year evaluations, Brodeur set his sights on a future with the Blues.
Brodeur did not pursue any other jobs, nor did he even discuss the possibility of joining a different organization after the season. Following the end-of-the-year evaluations, Brodeur set his sights on a future with the Blues.
“It came out of left field a little bit last season, with me
signing with the Blues," said Brodeur. "When I was done and decided to retire, I came in and it
was really for the rest of the season. I enjoyed being part of the
organization. I love the city of St. Louis, everything about it. For me, that
just kind of clicked.
“We kept in touch, me and Doug, throughout this process. I
never really had any conversations with any other organization. My goal was to
come back to St. Louis.”
Brodeur’s new role will see him assisting Armstrong in daily activities, but the former player will also likely be utilized in a scenario that sees him having much interaction with players and coaches. Brodeur, who has been spending time at his home in Florida, will be moving his family to St. Louis, where he will be a full-time employee of the Blues.
"He’s going to move to St. Louis and be here full time," said Armstrong. "He is
going to be in the office, watching our players. He will travel with the team
and learn the business side of it from playoff contracts to the mundane of
scheduling. It’s really going to be open for him to explore and I think one day
his goal is probably to be a manager.”
One stipulation for Brodeur during negotiations was that, if he was going to accept a position in St. Louis, any deal would have to come with term. A three-year length was decided on rather quickly.
“Through the
conversations with Doug, I said if I was going to make a move, it was going to
be for more than one year," said Brodeur. "I’m excited that we were able to make a deal where
I’ll stay for at least the next few seasons.”
Many thought Brodeur would return to New Jersey next season, an idea that was hinted upon by the former goaltender when he first retired from playing. This offseason, however, long-time Devils GM Lou Lamoriello’s decided to step aside and hire Ray Shero to take over the position. It was a
less-comfortable situation for Brodeur to return to, despite Lamoriello
remaining as the club’s President.
“I don't know the new GM that's there,” Brodeur told
northjersey.com recently. “I haven't talked to anybody in New Jersey actually.”
While Brodeur may eventually return to the organization that he was a part of for more than two decades, it won't be in the near future.
"I’m excited about this new chapter in my life and in my career and I’ll do my best to be as much of an impact as possible," Brodeur said.
While Brodeur may eventually return to the organization that he was a part of for more than two decades, it won't be in the near future.
"I’m excited about this new chapter in my life and in my career and I’ll do my best to be as much of an impact as possible," Brodeur said.
“He’s been a great guy to have around and I’m a better
manager for working with him,” Armstrong said.