The 1990 NHL Entry Draft is best known
for an outstanding crop of first round skaters, including Owen Nolan,
Mike Ricci and Jaromir Jagr. Something that set the 1990 draft apart
from other years was the number of goalies picked in the early
rounds. It is rare to have a goaltender go in the first round. In
1990 there were two. In fact, over the first two rounds there were
three goaltenders selected. Each of the three went on to successful
NHL careers.
Trevor Kidd – Calgary Flames
Kidd was taken in the first round by
Calgary, eleventh overall out of the Brandon Wheat Kings of the
Western Hockey League. Trevor played three years in the WHL from
1988-89 to 1990-91. Most of his time was spent in Brandon until a
midseason trade sent him to the Spokane Chiefs in his final year. He
was selected as the Canadian Hockey League goaltender of the year for
1989-90. Kidd was on the Team Canada roster for the 1990, 1991 and
1992 IIHF World Junior Championships.
Trevor played in the National Hockey
League from 1991-92 to 2003-04 with the Flames, Carolina Hurricanes,
Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs. He was picked up by the
Atlanta Thrashers at the 1999 Expansion Draft but was traded to the
Panthers before playing a game. He finished his pro hockey career
with a year in Germany’s Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) with the
Hannover Scorpions in 2005-06.
Martin Brodeur – New Jersey Devils
Shame on the nineteen teams that passed
over Brodeur at that 1990
NHL Entry Draft. Active in the NHL until 2014-15, Brodeur is not
only a given for the Hockey Hall of Fame, likely his three year wait
period will be waived, an honour reserved for the chosen few like
Gordie Howe, Terry Sawchuk, Bobby Orr and Wayne Gretzky.
Martin was a third round pick of the
Verdun Junior Canadiens at the QMJHL Entry Draft in 1989. In 1989-90,
Verdun was relocated and became the St. Hyacinthe Laser. Brodeur
played with St. Hyacinthe from 1989-90 to 1991-92. The franchise is
now the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies.
Brodeur got his start in the NHL
playing four games for the Devils in 1991-92. He became a regular
with the club in 1993-94 and has been there since. He holds NHL
records for most games played by a goalie, most wins, most shutouts,
etc, etc, etc. Martin won the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year
in 1993-94. He has been awarded the Vezina Trophy four times. The
Devils have won the Stanley Cup three times and lost in the finals
two other times, largely due to the goalkeeping of Martin Brodeur.
Internationally, Brodeur has played in
four Olympic Winter Games for Canada. The team won gold in 2002 and
2010. Martin has appeared at the World Championships twice for
Canada, winning gold in 2004. That number would have been higher if
the Devils had not been so successful in the Stanley Cup playoffs
through the years.
Felix Potvin – Toronto Maple Leafs
Another goalie out of the Quebec Major
Junior Hockey League, Potvin played for the Chicoutimi Sagueneens
from 1988-89 to 1990-91. Chicoutimi took him in the second round of
the 1988 QMJHL Entry Draft. In 1990-91, Felix was named the CHL
goaltender of the year. The following year, 1991-92, he was honoured
with the Dudley
‘Red’ Garrett Award as the top rookie in the American Hockey
League.
Potvin played in the NHL from 1991-92
to 2003-04 with the Maple Leafs, New York Islanders, Vancouver
Canucks, Los Angeles Kings and Boston Bruins. Known as a decent puck
handler, Felix totalled 16 assists over his NHL career.
