Brodeur Pushes Back Retirement Date

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/brodeur/

SportsNet- Former New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur appears to have had a change of heart in his retirement plans.

Renaud Lavoie, a hockey reporter at TVA Sports and the Journal de Montréal, said on Twitter that the 42-year-old isn’t ready to hang up his skates just yet.

This isn't at all surprising given the situation. If you are Marty you may as well ride this season out and see if an opportunity presents itself. If he didn't retire prior to the season he makes no sense to do it now. It's pretty obvious he still has a desire to play in the NHL. Really, why wouldn't he? A majority of the great players professional sports have seen have outlasted their welcome. Their passion and love for the game is what made them great in the first place. They should be commended on how hard it is for them to give up the sport they have dedicated their loves too.

I went through a period where I was hoping that Marty would retire this past summer as a Devil. Then I realized that whenever, and wherever Marty retires, it will be as a Devil. Quite honestly, I already miss watching him play. I thought it was a good decision to part ways and let Schneider shoulder the load. However, there is something uncomfortable and unfamiliar about starting a season without Brodeur between the pipes.

We are short of twenty games into the season. Any opportunity for Marty to contribute is dependent on injuries. Those will undoubtedly happen over the grind of the NHL schedule. Best case scenario he rides out the season waiting for a phone call and calls it quits. Although, if he does receive a call, it would certainly be fun to watch him play again. Even if he is doing it in another teams' sweater. I think we can all admit he is not doing himself any favors by bringing up playing time. What do you expect though? The best will always believe they are the best. I, myself, believe that Brodeur still has what it takes to be a serviceable NHL player. Whether it plays out that way or not remains to be seen.