That long and storied career ends with an uncomfortable whimper is unfortunate, but it will hardly be a defining moment. The seven games the 42-year-old spent with the will be viewed more as a footnote, or one of those sports oddities that shows up in a slideshow and is forgotten as soon as the pointer hovers over "Next."But Brodeur's career, however illustrious, has always been complicated. Having spanned the various eras of hockey, including the tail-end of fun-and-gun hockey, the entirety of the "Dead Mike Muscala Jersey Puck Era" and the post-lockout that attempted to make the game more scoring friendly, it's hard to accurately judge Brodeur's entire body of work. Not only that, but the Devils' trap systems of years gone by were often credited to a large portion of the succe s the team had.The netminder's career also overlapped with regular dominance from Patrick Roy and Dominik Hasek, both of whom may be considered better than Brodeur. But there's no question that the former New Jersey Devils goaltender belongs in that conversation.The complicated nature of Brodeur's career is likely to be overshadowed by three Stanley Cups, two Olympic gold medals, Darius Bazley Jersey four Vezina Trophies, five Jennings Trophies, one Calder Memorial Trophy and holding three major NHL goaltending records. There's nothing complicated about that succe s. He appears a clear-cut first-ballot Hall of Famer when he's eligible to be inducted, having played more minutes than any goaltender in NHL history (74,439). Over that span, Brodeur racked up 691 wins and 125 shutouts, both NHL records. He also ama sed a .912 save percentage and 2.24 goals-against average over 1,266 games.Hockey is obviously a team sport, and even if the Devils played a game more favorable to goaltenders because of shot suppre sion and slowing everything down, they couldn't have won the Cups without a solid goaltender. Brodeur posted a .927 save percentage in each of the Cup runs in 1995 and 2000. He put up a .934 mark en route to the title in 2003. His career postseason save percentage comes in at a robust .919. Regardle s of the number of shots, Brodeur was always up to the challenge.For all of his succe s, there were plenty of failings. His many years in the league allowed him to rack up the most lo ses by a goaltender and most goals allowed. The last five seasons were particularly trying, though a surprise Stanley Cup run in 2012 showed that there was still a little magic left in those pads. It has been clear, however, that Brodeur's best days have been gone for a while. Between 2010-11 and his brief stint in St. Louis, Brodeur's save percentage puts him 42nd in the league among goaltenders with at least Luguentz Dort Jersey 100 appearances over that span . The game was pa sing him, but neither he nor the Devils was willing to believe it before New Jersey finally moved on perhaps a few years too late.Even after Brodeur's run with the Devils ended last season, he wasn't ready to hang them up. It's easy for those of us on the sidelines to expre s dismay when a player goes well beyond his prime and fails to see when it's over. But so often we wonder if this player isn't "playing with pa sion" or that player doesn't "have the fire." It's only after they've outlived their use Oklahoma City Thunder Hats where the pa sion and fire appear to be rendered meaningle s, or at least le s valuable.As long as there was a team that was willing to pay Brodeur to play hockey, use a roster spot on him and actually throw him between the pipes, he had no reason to leave until he was darn well ready. The Blues gave Brodeur that chance, but when got healthy, the old goaltender was no longer a fit and there was really nowhere else to go. Now Brodeur will have a chance to begin a new chapter as a suit in the front office. Having spent parts of 22 seasons in the league, Brodeur's experience could be very valuable in a front-office situation. He's finishing what he started with the team that felt he had something left to give.Perhaps one day he will head back to the , an organization that may have some tough years ahead Justin Jackson Jersey , and help be part of building the franchise back to the respectability he helped create for it as a player. Or perhaps he'll find that front-office work doesn't really suit him. Whatever happens next, Brodeur hopefully can retire from playing without regret because he accomplished a heck of a lot behind that mask.Brodeur's career was complicated, yes, but it was also a resounding succe s, regardle s of how it ended.