Kevin Dupont

Debate what you will, but don't waste a slapshot's worth of time thinking of excuses as to why Martin Brodeur is anything less than the best goalie the NHL has ever seen.

In the end, that's all you'll have, excuses.

Brodeur, the game's all-time winningest goaltender following the Devils' win over the Blackhawks on Tuesday, would have been canonized long ago as the game's all-time netminder if he had spent his illustrious career in any number of places other than New Jersey. That's not to blame the Devils, or the fine state of New Jersey, but let's be honest — all those years at the edge of Exit 16W didn't add much romance or mystique to Brodeur's career. Not to mention how the Devils' overall style of defensive play, too often stifling and boring during head coach Jacques Lemaire's tenure, caught the critics' eyes far more than anything Brodeur did in net.

Even without his three Stanley Cups (1995, 2000, 2003) imagine how the hockey world would perceive Brodeur today if he had spent his last 15 years piling up all those victories in, say, Montreal or Toronto, or even with the Bruins, Rangers or Blackhawks.

O.K., include the Red Wings, too. Imagine how many more Cups Hockeytown would have won the last dozen or more years had the Wings opted to use their top pick (No. 3) in the 1990 draft on Brodeur instead of Keith Primeau. For the record, the Devils chose Brodeur with the 20th pick in that draft, by which time upwards of 10 clubs already had frittered away picks on players who would barely see the light of an NHL day.

The Flames, with the 11th pick that year, had the right idea in picking a goalie, but opted for Trevor Kidd over Brodeur. Right church, wrong 'tender, or something like that.

Look, I understand, this ''best ever'' thing is as subjective as Brett Hull's skate being in the crease in the deciding game of the 1999 Cup finals in Buffalo and ... oh, sorry, I forgot, some things really are that black and blue.

There are any number of names, most notably Patrick Roy, to frame the Brodeur debate. Others include the likes of Dominik Hasek (two Hart Trophies/five Vezinas), Ken Dryden (a half-dozen Cups in the '70s), Tony Esposito, Glenn Hall, Terry Sawchuk, Jacques Plante, Johnny Bower, Bill Durnan, Turk Broda, Tiny Thompson and George Hainsworth.

Have I missed anyone? Without a doubt. Mail in your ballots now for Ed Giacomin, Billy Smith, Bernie Parent, Grant Fuhr, Gump Worsley ... so many decades, so many worthy candidates.

But again, Brodeur's the guy. You can have the rest of the field, and I say that with great reluctance in giving up my cherished memories of Dryden (standing stoic in his net, chin resting on the butt end of his stick) and Worsley, aka The Gumper, fearlessly playing without a mask. Was he nuts?! Of course, just another reason to like him.

Now 36 years old, Brodeur is No. 1 in wins. Had he not been injured (surgery for a torn biceps tendon) this season, he already would have surpassed Roy's all-time mark of 1,029 career games. He'll have to wait until October to knock that one off. With 100 shutouts, he has a chance this season to pass Sawchuk (103) for most career blankings. But if not, again there is 2009-'10.

Remember, Brodeur still has three years left on that deal that pays $5.2 million per season. By the time he is finished, he may have tacked another 100 wins, and he might have 125 shutouts, if not more.

Video   Brodeur simply the best ever March 15: By the end of his contract, Martin Brodeur will be the owner of almost every record that pertains to goaltenders.

Heck, for his little corner of the game, Brodeur will have dominated the goaltending position the way Tiger Woods will have rewritten the PGA books. Luckily for Tiger, he only had to pass through New Jersey now and then, most often only to jump on his jet to get out of Newark.

Not only has Brodeur lapped the field, and won the three Cups and four Vezinas in the process, but he also has maintained a distinct style of play. While virtually all the goalie world stole from Roy, copying St. Patrick's robotic but successful butterfly style, Brodeur has relied more on agility and athleticism throughout his career.

On the verge of breaking Roy's record, when asked about his style, Brodeur told the New York Times, ''It's definitely not something you could write on a piece of paper.'' Unless you liked to doodle, of course.

Sure, the butterfly is there in Brodeur's game, too, but it's not his total game, not the essence of how he has played the position. Like goalies of yore, he will sometimes flash the double-pad stack to make a stop, dropping or sliding on the ice on one side, and pinching his legs together to create a wall with his leg pads.

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While the whole world went to oversized equipment (including XXXXXXXL sweaters), Brodeur stayed the course with his somewhat modest gear, which worked to his advantage the million-and-one-times he deftly left his crease to handle the puck and help his defensemen with key puck drops and short passes.

Roy really began the butterfly revolution, and he was about a decade into his career with the Canadiens when Brodeur, today 6-feet-2, 215 pounds, came along and took over the Devils net in 1993-94. Rather than fully embrace the style of the day, Brodeur incorporated elements of it, often opting to fall to one knee rather than two. While it may have made it more difficult to stop some pucks, it also forced him to play more by sense and skill.

Brodeur borrowed from the past, melded it to the modern, and now stands alone as the master of his craft.

Q: Who’s going to win the Presidents’ Trophy?
— Kevin from Portland, Maine
A: With less than month to go in the regular season, Kevin, it remains total guess work as to what team will finish with the league's best overall record in the regular season.

And my guess is ... Detroit.

Frankly, I think it comes down to the Red Wings or Sharks and I'm going with the Wings only because they have the game's No. 1 offense. Despite making the Wings my preseason choice to win the Cup again this season, I've said for months now that I don't care for their goaltending. While that's still true, they do score more than anyone else (261 times through 70 games), and scoring more goals than your opponent remains the essence of the game (even if some coaches believe the essence is minimizing chances and dreaming up evil, boring, suffocating defensive schemes).

I don't see either the Bruins or the Devils or even the Caps hanging with the Wings or Sharks for the ''points'' title the rest of the way. Now, before you ask, yes, I'm staying with the Wings as my Cup pick. I've been impressed by the Sharks this season, and I may have underestimated what Olli Jokinen (two hat tricks since his trade to Calgary) means to the Flames, but Detroit's scoring depth and quality backline make for too much of a combination for anyone to beat in a seven-game series.