EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- New Jersey goalie Martin Brodeur has won three Stanley Cups, two Vezina trophies and a Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie.

One of the few things missing from his resume is a Hart Trophy, which goes to the league's most valuable player.

That could change this spring, because Brodeur, who made his 56th start of the season when the Devils faced the Penguins at Continental Airlines Arena last night, is enjoying one of his finest seasons as a pro.

He entered the game with 35 victories and 10 shutouts. That left him 12 wins shy of the league record of 47 Bernie Parent of Philadelphia set in 1973-74, and five shutouts away from the NHL mark of 15 Chicago's Tony Esposito established in 1969-70.

Brodeur said yesterday that he would like to win the Hart, even though it's not an objective on which he has focused.

"I'm on a mission to win games, do my own thing," he said. "If there's anything you don't have control of, you can't start putting that into your head. The only thing I can control is how I play. If people judge that I'm worthy of it, it would be great."

Brodeur cited Penguins center Sidney Crosby ("With him leading the league [in points], you always look at that, especially if they get into the playoffs"), Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo ("He's up there in wins, and he plays every game, also") and Detroit defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom ("He's plus-35 or something like that, and he leading the league in scoring [by defensemen]") as some of the other players he feels are worthy of serious consideration.

Precedent suggests neither Brodeur nor Luongo will be the betting favorite, because there seems to be a built-in bias against goaltenders among the Hart voters. Only three have won it -- Jacques Plante in 1962; Dominik Hasek was named MVP in 1997 and 1998, and Jose Theodore got the award in 2002.

"I know it's doable, but I understand that it's not likely for a goalie," Brodeur said. "Usually, [No. 1] goalies will play 60, 65 games, so there are 15 or 20 games when you're not playing. But, in my case, it's a little different. I'm playing every game."

And winning most of them.

That's the main reason he has made serious headway toward overtaking Patrick Roy on the league's all-time victories list. Roy retired with 551, while Brodeur had 481 before last night.

Penguins coach Michel Therrien was Roy's teammate with Sherbrooke in the American Hockey League in 1984-85 -- a year before Roy led Montreal to a Stanley Cup as a rookie -- but declined to draw comparisons between Roy and Brodeur.

"Patrick Roy is Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur is Martin Brodeur," he said. "Two great athletes who have been phenomenal throughout their careers."

Devils' Madden returns

Devils center John Madden played last night, even though he still had discoloration and a bit of swelling under his right eye, where he was struck by a puck Sunday.

Madden's injury forced him to sit out New Jersey's 5-2 victory against Montreal Wednesday, but he was adamant yesterday that he didn't want to miss another game, though not necessarily because it was against the team chasing New Jersey in the Atlantic Division standings.

"You want to get back in the lineup as soon as possible," he said. "It just happens that we're playing against Pittsburgh."

Madden wore a cage to protect the injured area of his face and acknowledged it was a bit unsettling.

"It's like anything," he said. "Anytime you change something like that, it takes a little bit to get used to."

A Crosby fan

Sidney Crosby-bashing is in vogue in some quarters these days, but Devils coach Claude Julien won't be adding his voice to that chorus.

He got to watch Crosby play junior hockey and coached him at the world championships last spring, and speaks glowingly not only of his talent -- "He's been such a dominant player at every level" -- but of his character.

"I've heard a lot of things going around, but he's a quality person," Julien said. "He is one of the good ambassadors in this league."

Confidence-builder

Although Marc-Andre Fleury's workload hasn't been quite as great as Brodeur's -- he has appeared in 48 of the Penguins' first 57 games -- he has been clearly established as the Penguins' go-to goalie, and Brodeur believes that having that kind of responsibility has contributed to Fleury's strong showing this season.

"Any goalie who has the leeway that they're giving him or [the Devils] are giving me, it makes it fun ... because you feel like the organization is giving you all the pressure or all the confidence you need to be successful," he said.

"I think it's great. One of the consistencies of that team has been in goal. He always plays good games."