SERAVALLI: Martin Brodeur sizes up best Stanley Cup Final goalie matchup in 20 years
TAMPA, Fla. — Rewind the tape 20 years to May 26, 2001 – when maybe the two best netminders of all-time in Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur went toe-to-toe in the Stanley Cup Final – and you’ll see that Game 1 then played out a lot as Game 1 did here on Monday in the best Final goalie matchup since.
That 2001 Final was justifiably built up as a crease clash of titans. It was Roy’s three Stanley Cup rings against Brodeur’s two – and the Devils were the defending champs.
Then Game 1 fell flat.
Roy and the Colorado Avalanche blanked Brodeur’s New Jersey Devils, 5-0, to take the early series lead. Brodeur allowed five goals on 30 shots that night; Price gave up five on 27 shots on Monday night as Vasilevskiy and the defending champion Bolts cruised to a 5-1 win. Both games got chippy in the third period once the score was out of hand, too.
There is hope for those begging for a captivating Final this year, as the Habs face their stiffest test yet: That 2001 series went the distance. Game 7 ended with Ray Bourque memorably hoisting hockey’s holy grail.
Two decades and one more Stanley Cup later, Brodeur said he is still bothered by that result.
“That series was in my hands,” Brodeur told DailyFaceoff.com on Monday from St. Louis. “It didn’t end the way we wanted and that was one of my real regrets – not being able to win that year.”
Brodeur also clearly remembers what it felt like for those two weeks squaring off against Roy. It was unforgettable.
“Well, he was my idol growing up. It was really special,” Brodeur said. “I think that’s why it’s a little different for Price and Vasilevskiy. But what’s special is that you always want to go up against the best. That’s where you get your motivation from.”
This 2021 Final marks the first since 1999 that two Vezina Trophy winners are going head-to-head. That’s only because in 2001, Brodeur (as a two-time runner-up) had yet to win one.
Price versus Vasilevskiy is not just the best Final goaltending matchup since 2001 in terms of career accolades, reputation and accomplishment. It’s one of the best ever – because probably for the quirks of the position and luck, fans have rarely been rewarded with two goalies at the pinnacle of their profession being pitted against each other in the Final.
We’ve had many more matchups like Antti Niemi versus Michael Leighton (2010) or Cam Ward against Dwayne Roloson (2006) than this one. Even when a top-flight Vezina winner is in the Final, his opponent often hasn’t been of the same ilk, like Vasilevskiy against Anton Khudobin (2020) or Dominik Hasek versus Arturs Irbe (2002).
So this is a Stanley Cup Final to savor from that perspective – if Price and the Canadiens can rebound. They should, because Brodeur knows first-hand that Price is proud and a fierce competitor.
“Even though as a goalie you’re not playing against the guy in the other net directly, you’ve got to hold your own,” Brodeur explained. “When you are playing against someone of that caliber, you don’t want to be the reason why your team loses. It’s tough. The margin of error is so slim.”
It was even slimmer for Price on Monday night when his teammates admittedly made costly turnovers in critical areas in his first career Cup Final appearance.
But Brodeur, now the Devils’ executive vice president and hockey operations advisor, believes this matchup will live up the hype.
“You can go back and look at all of my comments, I’ve said consistently that Vasilevskiy and Price are the two best goalies in the world,” Brodeur said. “They are both at different stages in their careers. There’s been no one better than Vasilevskiy the last two years – and repeating is the hardest thing to do.
“It’s not easy to play on good teams and Tampa Bay relied on him a lot. If it was easy, then his backup would also have great numbers when he goes in.”
Brodeur said he has noticed a marked improvement in Price, particularly since March, when goaltending coach Stephane Waite was fired and Sean Burke took over as the Canadiens’ director of goaltending. Price was 6-4-3 with an .893 save percentage before Waite was fired on March 3; he is 18-9-2 with a .922 save percentage since then when combining the regular season and playoffs.
“Carey has been impressive and it seems like Sean Burke had a lot to do with it,” Brodeur said. “He really deserves a chance to compete for the Cup. It would be a nice bow on his career, he’s had success and won almost everything else, including the Olympics. He’s pretty dialed in.”
The pressure is on now and Price’s response in Game 2 will be appointment viewing. Roy went on to collect two shutouts in the series. Ultimately, as Brodeur can attest, just making it to this stage and falling short in the spotlight can leave a mark – even with someone whose place in the game is unquestioned and their trophy case is already brimming.
“Look, you are judged by your performance in the Final,” Brodeur said. “There is only one winner. And it’s who is holding the Stanley Cup at the end.”