Quick Facts
Biography
Richard "King Richard", "Kermit" Brodeur (born September 15, 1952), is a Canadian retired ice hockey goaltender. Brodeur was born in Longueuil, Quebec, but grew up in Montreal, Quebec.
Playing career
Originally selected in the 1972 NHL Entry Draft by the New York Islanders, Brodeur chose to begin his professional career in the World Hockey Association with the Quebec Nordiques. For seven seasons, he played with the Nordiques, with the 1975–76 season being his best playing 69 games and winning 44. During the 1976–77 season, his goaltending helped guide the Nordiques to the Avco World Trophy.
When the WHA folded following the 1978–79 season, the Islanders reclaimed his rights. However, he only played two games for them as he was the third goalie behind Billy Smith and Chico Resch, and was traded to the Vancouver Canucks prior to the 1980–81 NHL season. In his second season with the Canucks, he guided the team during their improbable playoff run to the finals, eventually losing to Brodeur's old team, the Islanders. Following the Canucks' 6-5 overtime loss in Game 1, Brodeur swatted with his catching mitt at a cameraman who was stationed along the runway between the bench and the dressing room.
Brodeur was selected to play in the 1983 All-Star Game, but couldn't play due to an ear injury suffered in Toronto three days before the game. He remained with the Canucks for almost eight seasons until he was traded near the end of the 1987–88 NHL season to Hartford, where he ended his NHL career. At the time of his retirement, Brodeur was the last active NHL player from the WHA's inaugural season, and the last to have played in all 7 seasons of the WHA's existence.
After his retirement, he founded his own hockey school in the Vancouver area. He also briefly worked as an analyst on Quebec Nordiques French TV telecasts.
He is also remembered for being the goaltender that Wayne Gretzky scored the most on, 29 times in the NHL.
Awards
- Terry Sawchuk Award (CHL) - 1979-1980
- Named to the NHL All-Star Game - 1983
- Cyclone Taylor Award (Vancouver Canucks) - 1981, 1982, 1985
- Molson Cup (Most Canucks three-star selections) - 1980–81, 1981–82, 1984–85, 1985–86
- Inaugural inductee into the World Hockey Association Hall of Fame - 2010
Personal life
Richard is an artist, using oil on canvas, and has had several shows at Diskin Galleries in Vancouver.
Career statistics
Regular season
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970–71 | Verdun Maple Leafs | QJHL | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 360 | 47 | 0 | 7.83 | .813 |
| 1970–71 | Cornwall Royals | QJHL | 35 | — | — | — | 2100 | 144 | 0 | 4.11 | .879 |
| 1971–72 | Cornwall Royals | QMJHL | 58 | — | — | — | 3481 | 170 | 5 | 2.93 | .914 |
| 1972–73 | Quebec Nordiques | WHA | 24 | 5 | 14 | 2 | 1288 | 102 | 0 | 4.75 | .861 |
| 1973–74 | Quebec Nordiques | WHA | 30 | 15 | 12 | 1 | 1607 | 89 | 1 | 3.32 | .901 |
| 1973–74 | Maine Nordiques | NAHL | 16 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 927 | 47 | 0 | 3.04 | — |
| 1974–75 | Quebec Nordiques | WHA | 51 | 29 | 21 | 0 | 2938 | 188 | 0 | 3.90 | .892 |
| 1975–76 | Quebec Nordiques | WHA | 69 | 44 | 21 | 2 | 3967 | 244 | 2 | 3.69 | .890 |
| 1976–77 | Quebec Nordiques | WHA | 53 | 29 | 18 | 2 | 2906 | 167 | 2 | 3.45 | .880 |
| 1977–78 | Quebec Nordiques | WHA | 36 | 18 | 15 | 2 | 1962 | 121 | 0 | 3.70 | .892 |
| 1978–79 | Quebec Nordiques | WHA | 42 | 25 | 13 | 3 | 2433 | 126 | 3 | 3.11 | .901 |
| 1979–80 | New York Islanders | NHL | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 80 | 6 | 0 | 4.50 | .829 |
| 1979–80 | Indianapolis Checkers | CHL | 46 | 22 | 19 | 5 | 2722 | 131 | 4 | 2.88 | — |
| 1980–81 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 52 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 3024 | 177 | 0 | 3.51 | .884 |
| 1981–82 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 52 | 20 | 18 | 12 | 3010 | 168 | 2 | 3.35 | .891 |
| 1982–83 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 58 | 21 | 26 | 8 | 3291 | 208 | 0 | 3.79 | .873 |
| 1983–84 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 36 | 10 | 21 | 5 | 2110 | 141 | 1 | 4.01 | .868 |
| 1984–85 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 51 | 16 | 27 | 6 | 2930 | 228 | 0 | 4.67 | .855 |
| 1984–85 | Fredericton Express | AHL | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 249 | 13 | 0 | 3.13 | .898 |
| 1985–86 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 64 | 19 | 32 | 8 | 3541 | 240 | 2 | 4.07 | .861 |
| 1986–87 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 53 | 20 | 25 | 5 | 2972 | 178 | 1 | 3.59 | .872 |
| 1987–88 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 11 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 668 | 49 | 0 | 4.40 | .859 |
| 1987–88 | Fredericton Express | AHL | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 99 | 8 | 0 | 4.85 | .862 |
| 1987–88 | Hartford Whalers | NHL | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 339 | 15 | 0 | 2.65 | .894 |
| 1988–89 | Binghamton Whalers | AHL | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 222 | 21 | 0 | 5.68 | .824 |
| WHA totals | 305 | 165 | 114 | 12 | 17,101 | 1037 | 8 | 3.64 | .889 | ||
| NHL totals | 385 | 131 | 175 | 62 | 21,966 | 1410 | 6 | 3.85 | .872 | ||
Playoffs
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971–72 | Cornwall Royals | QMJHL | 16 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 960 | 44 | 0 | 2.75 | .922 |
| 1971–72 | Cornwall Royals | M-Cup | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | 179 | 4 | 1 | 1.34 | — |
| 1974–75 | Quebec Nordiques | WHA | 15 | 8 | 7 | — | 906 | 48 | 1 | 3.18 | .913 |
| 1975–76 | Quebec Nordiques | WHA | 5 | 1 | 4 | — | 299 | 22 | 0 | 4.41 | — |
| 1976–77 | Quebec Nordiques | WHA | 17 | 12 | 5 | — | 1007 | 55 | 1 | 3.28 | .882 |
| 1977–78 | Quebec Nordiques | WHA | 11 | 5 | 5 | — | 622 | 38 | 1 | 3.67 | — |
| 1978–79 | Quebec Nordiques | WHA | 3 | 0 | 2 | — | 114 | 14 | 0 | 7.37 | — |
| 1979–80 | Indianapolis Checkers | CHL | 6 | 3 | 3 | — | 357 | 12 | 1 | 2.02 | — |
| 1980–81 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 3 | 0 | 3 | — | 185 | 13 | 0 | 4.22 | .852 |
| 1981–82 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 17 | 11 | 6 | — | 1089 | 49 | 0 | 2.70 | .917 |
| 1982–83 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 3 | 0 | 3 | — | 193 | 13 | 0 | 4.04 | .849 |
| 1983–84 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 4 | 1 | 3 | — | 222 | 12 | 1 | 3.24 | .896 |
| 1985–86 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 2 | 0 | 2 | — | 120 | 12 | 0 | 6.00 | .848 |
| 1987–88 | Hartford Whalers | NHL | 4 | 1 | 3 | — | 199 | 12 | 0 | 3.62 | .862 |
| WHA totals | 51 | 26 | 23 | — | 2948 | 177 | 3 | 3.60 | — | ||
| NHL totals | 33 | 13 | 30 | — | 2008 | 111 | 1 | 3.32 | .894 | ||