NHL teams
Katie Strang, ESPN.com 9y

Martin Brodeur starts Thursday

NHL, St. Louis Blues

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Veteran goaltender Martin Brodeur made his first start as a member of the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night against the Nashville Predators.

The future first-ballot Hall of Famer, who played 21 seasons and won three Stanley Cup championships with the New Jersey Devils, signed a one-year contract with the Blues on Tuesday after sitting out the first few months of the season as an unrestricted free agent.

"I've been waiting for this opportunity for a little while," the 42-year-old Brodeur said following Thursday's morning skate at Bridgestone Arena. "We'll have fun with it."

Brodeur said the opportunity, which arose when Blues starting goalie Brian Elliott went down with a knee injury last week, arrived later than he hoped but that he was excited to get another chance to see what he can do.

Brodeur hasn't played since a 3-2 win against the Boston Bruins on April 13, his last game as a Devil, in which he stopped 16 of 18 shots.

So what does he expect after such a long layoff?

"I've worked really hard while I was off hockey and I've worked really hard since I've been in St. Louis, so hopefully I'm ready," Brodeur said. "But, until I play a game, this is where I'm at. I'll be a better judge of where I'm at, so it's a great opportunity for me again tonight."

Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said it was important for the team to temper expectations, given the situation.

"I think we have to be cautiously optimistic that he's gonna play well. More important, we're going to have to play committed in front of him. It's two-fold," he said.

But Hitchcock had no reservations about what the four-time Vezina Trophy winner could provide a Blues team that is competing for the top spot in a stacked Central Division.

"I think any time you can bring [Stanley Cup championship] rings into your locker room, it's a big advantage," he said.

Brodeur, who has amassed 688 wins and 124 shutouts in 1,259 career games, squared off against one of the league's hottest goaltenders as of late in Nashville's Pekka Rinne, who is tied for the league lead with 16 wins and boasts a .932 save percentage and a 1.83 goals-against average.

"Obviously, it's an honor to play against him," Rinne said. "I'm a huge fan of him, but when I step [on the] ice I'm just going to focus on keeping the puck out of my net."

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