Martin Brodeur announces retirement from NHL

NHL goaltending great Martin Brodeur officially announced his retirement Thursday at a news conference in St. Louis, where he ended his brilliant career with a brief stint after more than two decades with the New Jersey Devils.

Brodeur, 42, informed the St. Louis Blues earlier this week that his playing career was over. They gave him a job as an advisor to general manager Doug Armstrong.

"I'm leaving the game with a big smile on my face," said Brodeur, who wouldn't commit to the new gig beyond this season.

Brodeur joined the Blues in late November after spending 21 seasons with New Jersey. The Devils decided to let him go after last season, and the goalie went unsigned until St. Louis gave him a tryout and later inked him to a one-year deal to shore up an ailing netminding unit.

He played seven games and recorded a shutout that extended his all-time regular-season record to 125, but when Brian Elliott and Jake Allen regained their health Brodeur saw his playing time dwindling and decided to call it quits.

"I'm a competitive guy," Brodeur said. "It was hard to stay on the sidelines."

"I had a blast for the month and a half that I was here. They really took me into their family, and for me that meant a lot."​

Brodeur will be remembered for his stellar run in Jersey, where he racked up all but three of his NHL-record 691 regular-season wins and also recorded 24 playoff shutouts, another record.

The Montreal native won three Stanley Cups and four Vezina Trophies as the league's best goalie, and added a pair of Olympic gold medals with Canada in 2002 and 2010.