The 37-year-old netminder will be watching from the bench on Tuesday evening, with the 30-year-old Roberto Luongo manning the crease when the Canadians take on Germany in an elimination game.
Needless to say, it's a scenario that very few would have imagined a week ago. Yet it's a decision that seemed necessary for Mike Babcock to make.
"We're in the winning business," Babcock told reporters on Monday. "And to win at any level you need big saves, you need momentum-changing saves. I think [Luongo] gives us a real good opportunity to win."
If Luongo gives you a chance to win, then what does Brodeur give you? Brodeur is the all-time leader in NHL victories (591), shutouts (108) and games played (1,057) in addition to being a four-time Vezina winner, three-time Stanley Cup winner and Olympic gold medalist.
But even with the ridiculous resume, Brodeur showed against the Americans that it would simply be the wrong choice for Babcock to put the veteran between the pipes. For that, Brodeur can only blame himself.
From the first drop of the puck on Sunday night, Brodeur was just a bit off. He needlessly and fruitlessly attempted to deflect a puck off the end boards in the game's opening seconds, and he let in an American goal before 45 seconds had even ticked off the clock. That goal was deflected by teammate Sidney Crosby, and with the potent Canadian offense barely warmed up, Brodeur had hardly sunken the Canadians at that point.
Yet for the rest of the game, as soon as Canada could equal the score, Brodeur allowed the Americans to reclaim the lead. Eric Staal knotted things at one at 8:53 of the first; Brian Rafalski scored 22 seconds later. Dany Heatley again tied the score early in the second, but Brodeur allowed Chris Drury to put the U.S. back on top as the teams headed to their respective dressing rooms for the second time.
And it wasn't just the goals that were the problems, it was the way in which they were scored. Rafalski's goal, from a Canadian standpoint, was completely unnecessary. Brodeur attempted a home-run swing on a bouncing puck but couldn't clear the zone, and Rafalski, who spent seven seasons in front of Brodeur in New Jersey, knew what was happening, and he grabbed the puck, carried it through the slot and sent a puck along the ice. The shot never got any air, and Brodeur, looking as confused as he ever has, desperately threw down a two-pad stack, but to no avail.
The Drury goal was just as bad. After American forward David Backes knocked Brodeur to the ice, the goaltender was visibly upset. Brodeur launched in inopportune lunge at Backes, taking himself out of position and allowing Drury to bang home a puck into a wide open net.
Making matters worse, the largely unproven Ryan Miller, playing in just his third Olympic game, outshined and outplayed his counterpart in Brodeur. Miller handled 42 of 45 Canadian shots, remaining in control for much of the game. When he was out of position, he adjusted rapidly, which was most evident when, while stuck on his stomach in the crease, he robbed Jarome Iginla with an unbelievable glove save. Miller then stood tall when his team needed him the most, withstanding a flurry of shots in the closing minutes and allowing his team the opportunity to score on the empty Canadian net.
The trouble is that even though Brodeur is closing in on 40, the mistakes he made on Sunday weren't physical. They were 100 percent mental. He made decisions he had no reason to make, and they came back to haunt him. The guy who's played in countless big games simply could not step up in this one.
It wasn't how the story was supposed to go for the Canadians. Now, Luongo, playing in front of his NHL fans, will be the man. Babcock said that he doesn't foresee the possibility of making another change.
"One thing about this tournament now," he said Monday, "if you're changing goalies you're probably out of the tournament."
In short, he was trying to say that if Luongo doesn't perform, it will be too late for the Canadians to recover. Yet because of Brodeur's performance, that time may have already come.
