Now that he’s been elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame, there are going to be a few more people looking for Martin Brodeur rookie cards.
It won’t be a long search.
Brodeur, announced Tuesday as one of the members of the Hall’s latest class, appeared on a card for the first time back in 1990-91 as the “junk wax” era began. While there were multiple sets issued that season, only Score managed to make a card of the newest New Jersey Devils draft pick.
He’s #439 in the set but there are actually two versions. Score also produced a separate set with bi-lingual text for distribution in Canada. Neither is expensive.
In fact, if you want a cheap rookie card of a Hall of Famer, it’s hard to do much better. Most of Brodeur’s first cards can be had for a less than the cost of a fast food meal.
Brodeur will go down as one of the greatest goalies of all-time. He’s the all-time leader in wins with 691; in saves with 28,928 and shutouts at 125. He won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s best goalie four times.
Not regarded as flashy, Brodeur was simply best in big games. He owns 24 post-season shutouts, more than any other goaltender. In 21 seasons with New Jersey, he won the Stanley Cup three times. He was also durable, playing in 70 or more games 12 times.
Brodeur was a teenage first round draft pick on his 1990-91 Score card. He would be in the NHL full-time just a few years later and begin appearing regularly on cards. He also had another card issued in 1990-91–a minor league issue from the QMJHL. The “7th Inning Sketch” cards are much tougher to find than the Score rookie but prices are still fairly modest.
His most valuable issues are those issued in high-end Upper Deck products, most carrying an autograph and issued after his retirement. Even then, many signed Brodeur cards can be found for well under $200. The largest sale in recent months was for a 2016-17 Upper Deck The Cup Monumental Patch 1/1 autograph card that sold for $1,136 in April.
You can check out the ‘most watched’ Martin Brodeur hockey cards on eBay below.