Alright. So you puck heads definitely get who we’re referring to here! None other than Martin Brodeur and Dominik Hasek- two of the best netminders to play the damn game in this era.

Between them, they’ve combined for the following:

Games-1,659 (Brodeur-937, Hasek-722)

Starts-1,628 (Brodeur-926, Hasek-702)

Wins-900 (Brodeur-520, Hasek-380)

GAA-2.20

Save Pct-.917

SHO-176 (Brodeur-96, Hasek-80)

Cups-4 (Brodeur-3, Hasek-1)

Harts-2 (Hasek-2) 

Vezinas-9 (Hasek-6, Brodeur-1)

All-Stars-16 (Brodeur-10, Hasek-6)

1st All-Star Team-9 (Hasek-6, Brodeur-3)

Olympic Gold Medals- 2 (Hasek-1998 Cze, Brodeur-2002 Can)

When you break it down, the list of accomplishments these two future Hockey Hall of Fame goalies have earned during standout NHL careers are remarkable.

So, which goalie do you want with one big game to play with all the money riding on the line? Many would probably say Brodeur just for the simple fact that he’s won two more championships and is eight years younger than The Dominator. Either way you slice it, both are fully capable of backstopping teams to hockey’s pinnacle.

They’ve also been extremely fun to watch helping revolutionize the art of goaltending. These days, you see more and more top flight goalies who are not only athletic but are well schooled and emulate their boyhood idols.

That’s when you sit down and begin to realize the sort of impact Brodeur and Hasek have had on the game of hockey. Both have had their fair share of unbelievable moments as evidenced by our research above. You’ve seen these guys stand on their collective heads lifting their teams to victories. They’ve been quote on quote “Franchise Players” who impacted their rosters.

What’s most amazing is that none of Hasek’s Sabre teams ever won it all despite his amazing performances which included unorthodox sprawling saves which defied logic. Truthfully, Dom never really had the kind of caliber team around him a la Marty where he’s helped backstop the club to three Stanley Cups (1995, 2000, 2003) and 10 consecutive postseason appearances. Hasek’s ‘99 Buffalo team which won the Eastern Conference by eliminating bitter rival Toronto fell short in their attempt to win the franchise’s first Cup, losing to the Stars in six games on a controversial Brett Hull goal in triple overtime.

ESPN replays revealed that Hull’s foot was in the crease. It has since become known as “No Goal.” Just another sad moment synonymous with Buffalo sports history. We’ll not mention the other sports team as we’re on the fringe of Super Bowl XLII tomorrow night between the Giants and Patriots.

Ironically, Hasek forced a trade and went to the Red Wings where he won his only Cup backstopping them to a five-game series win over the Hurricanes in 2002. It put the icing on the cake of a brilliant NHL career in which he didn’t come over from Europe until 1990-91 with the Blackhawks. That’s what people tend to forget about him. That he wasn’t really a No.1 goalie until 1993-94 when he captured his first of six Vezinas after coming over to Buffalo from Chicago (Stephane Beauregard and future considerations-Eric Daze). By that time, the goalie who would three years later become the first netminder since Jacques Plante to sweep both the Hart and Vezina trophies was already 29.

Here’s our big question based on that fact along with what we’ve provided above? As every hockey fan knows, Brodeur continues to chase Terry Sawchuk’s shutout record of 103. With four blankings in 2007-08 entering tonight’s home game against the Kings, Marty’s 96 trails only Sawchuk by seven and should be a lock to break it. However, would Hasek have as many shutouts as Brodeur if he had 224 more starts (225 after tonight)???

The answer is debatable but it sure would be exciting to see two of the best goalies compete for Sawchuk’s record.

So, who’s better? If you just base your answer on championships, then the edge goes to the Montreal native who at times can be a lot more arrogant than NJ fans want to admit. Did anyone see his comments about the latest Ranger loss? According to Marty, they were the better team. Yep. Everywhere except the scoreboard buddy. Maybe if you knew how to stop sneaky sharp angle wraparounds, your team finally might’ve gotten a win against the Rangers. They’re now 0-for-5. It must really sting Brodeur to be losing these type of games to them. Especially when his team is locked into such a tight playoff race.

Brodeur’s always an interesting interview before and after a game. The chatty netminder will talk about pretty much anything when it comes to his team along with the sport. In terms of handling himself off the ice, he’s done a much better job than the more ornery Hasek who once attacked former Buffalo News reporter Jim Kelley for asking a question pertaining to a rift with then Sabres’ coach Ted Nolan. Everyone knows how that turned out.
Don’t piss off Dom or he might chop you like he did to a pour skater during a freaking pickup roller hockey game back home in the Czech Republic. If you tick off Marty, he’ll just tell the refs or take an Oscar Award winning dive like he did when Sean Avery pushed him last year during a scrum. And don’t forget, you’ll still have to deal with the one and only Chico Resch AKA Protector of Martin Brodeur Goals Allowed Enterprises.

So, which goalie is better? I guess it all depends on who you prefer. They’re both different in terms of style and Brodeur is the much better stickhandler. Hasek’s won more hardware while Brodeur’s got a couple of more Cups.

One day at a bar while having some brews, I’m sure they’ll still be debating this one. For now, we’re just fortunate to be able to watch these two great athletes in net.