Denis Brodeur, the father of star goalie Martin Brodeur who enjoyed a lengthy career as one of Canada's most successful sports photographers, died Thursday, the New Jersey Devils said. He was 82.
He shot pictures of the Montreal Canadiens for several decades, first as a newspaper man and then as the team's official photographer. Brodeur was one of two photographers to capture the iconic image of Paul Henderson celebrating the winning goal of the 1972 Canada-Soviet summit series.
In 2006, he sold his archive of 110,000 photos to the NHL for $350,000.
"In a cut-throat business, he was a true class act," said Ryan Remiorz, a photographer for The Canadian Press who first met Brodeur while shooting Montreal Expos games in 1979. "He was already a legend before I showed up."
Denis Brodeur's career extended beyond hockey. He was also the official photographer for the Expos and shot numerous local sporting events and pro wrestling.
He would bring his sons to practices and to Florida every year for spring training. The family made the lengthy drive to Florida because Mireille Brodeur, Martin's mother, didn't like flying.
In Florida, the family would rent a motel room. Photographers recalled visits to that motel, where Denis would set up a makeshift darkroom, and Mireille cooked for the family on a hot plate.
Like his son, Denis Brodeur was a goalie who won an Olympic medal. He backstopped the Canadian team that took the bronze at the 1956 Cortina d'Ampezzo Games.
