Martin Brodeur was born on May 6, 1972, in Montreal. He was one of five children of Denis and Mireille Brodeur. Denis played in the 1956 Olympics for Team Canada and won a bronze medal. After his playing career, Denis was a longtime photographer for the Montreal Canadiens.

During his NHL career, Brodeur set numerous league records. He ended his career with 691 wins, 140 more than Roy, who is second on the NHL's all-time list. Brodeur extended his record shutout total to 125, 22 more than second-place Sawchuk. After his final season, he had played in 1,266 regular season games, a total more than 200 above that of any other goalie. In nine seasons, Brodeur was the NHL wins leader, and in five other seasons he was among the top five goalies in the category. Brodeur's honors include three Vezina Trophy wins as the top goalie in the NHL, and the 1993-94 Calder Trophy as rookie of the year. His total of five Jennings Trophies is tied for the most in NHL history, matching Roy's record. In postseason play, he had the most shutouts of any NHL goalie (24), and his 113 playoff wins ranks second all-time. Sportswriters and players have called Brodeur one of the greatest goalies in NHL history. USA Today's Kevin Allen placed Brodeur in a group including Roy and Sawchuk as the leading NHL goalie, noting that Brodeur had the advantage in wins. Writer Steve Politi noted Brodeur's longevity as an advantage on other top all-time goalies such as Roy; Brodeur played 70 or more games in 12 seasons, compared to 0 for Roy. Sportsnet's Chris Boyle, after running a statistical analysis, placed Brodeur eighth in his all-time goaltending list; he offered the rationale that Brodeur's teammates helped him achieve his major records, while goalies such as Roy and Hasek had superior stats in their best seasons. Brodeur is remembered for his playing style: writer Katie Strang called him "one of the most innovative [goalies] ever to play the game", due to his "superior puck-handling skills". Scott Gomez, a former teammate of Brodeur in New Jersey, considered his goalie to be the equivalent of an extra defenceman. The Brodeur Rule, which his play helped inspire the league to institute starting in the 2005-06 season, remains in place. His playing style proved uncommon among goalies of his era, as most of his competitors used a butterfly style exclusively. Brodeur is considered a likely candidate for induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame once he becomes eligible to appear on the ballot.

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