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Martin Brodeur to join Blues on a tryout basis beginning Friday

Martin Brodeur to join Blues on a tryout basis beginning Friday

“I’m here if somebody needs me. I’m going to keep myself ready. Whatever happens, I don’t need to make a decision. I don’t want to cheat myself of any opportunities if it happens later on. I’m just taking it day by day.” 

Those were Martin Brodeur’s words earlier this month at the Hockey Hall of Fame inductions. One day, he’ll be part of the ceremony in Toronto, but for now he still wants to continue playing, and isn’t ready to retire.

Well, someone does need Brodeur. The St. Louis Blues, to be exact.

On Wednesday, the Blues announced that the 42-year old Brodeur will begin practicing with the team later this week. Their goaltending situation took a blow with the news that Brian Elliott is “week-to-week” with a lower-body injury. Jake Allen will take the helm for now, and Jordan Binnington has been recalled from the AHL on an emergency basis.

According to Blues general manager Doug Armstrong, Brodeur will be with the team “through early next week,” which will give them time to evaluate not only Brodeur, but see if the tandem of Allen and Binnington inspire confidence in head coach Ken Hitchcock and management.

Hitchcock was on the Team Canada staff for the 2002 and 2010 Olympic games, where Brodeur competed. And, of course, Brodeur and the New Jersey Devils beat his Dallas Stars in 2000 for the Stanley Cup.

Said Hitchcock in January of this year on Brodeur:

“I would say he’s the best I’ve ever seen when the game is on the line. There’s maybe three goalies in the world that I’ve coached against for me where you honestly feel like you’re not going to score on, and he’s one of the three.

“For me, Eddie (Belfour) was really good at that and (Patrick) Roy was like that too. It doesn’t matter how many shots you get, you’re not going to score. It was almost fun for them.”

This isn’t the first time the Blues are reaching out to an old hand to help them out. In 2013, they brought back Jason Arnott to skate as they dealt with a number of injuries to their forward group. The reunion lasted only a few days and Arnott and the team went their separate ways once players began getting healthy.

Brodeur, meanwhile, has been looking for the "right fit" since the summer when New Jersey decided not to re-sign him and the rest of the NHL passed on his services. And after numerous injuries to goaltenders around the league, teams went in other directions despite the future Hall of Famer's name being bandied about from everywhere from Minnesota to Colorado.

If this tryout doesn't work between Brodeur and the Blues, it may be the last we see of the netminder in the NHL. He's won it all and doesn't have anything left to prove. As he's said, this is a selfish venture on his part because he wants to continue playing and you can't fault him for that.

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Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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