Martin Brodeur was born on May 6, 1972, in Montreal. He is one of five children of Denis and Mireille Brodeur. Denis played in the 1956 Olympics for Team Canada and won a bronze medal. After his playing career, Denis was a longtime photographer for the Montreal Canadiens. For more than 20 years, he attended all Montreal games and practices, and when Martin was old enough, he came along. Brodeur idolized Canadiens goaltender Patrick Roy.

In the 2001–02 season, Brodeur finished among the league leaders in wins and GAA. Brodeur continued to lead the league in victories and remained a Vezina and MVP candidate. The next season, in 2002–03, Brodeur won the Vezina Trophy for the first time. He also won the Jennings Trophy again, was a Hart Memorial Trophy finalist for the league’s Most Valuable Player, and was named a First Team All-Star and started in the All-Star Game. With one of the most impressive playoff performances of his career, Brodeur guided the Devils to their third Stanley Cup victory after seven-game series wins against the top-seeded Ottawa Senators and the seventh-seeded Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. He posted 3 shutouts against Anaheim and had a playoff total of 7 overall, breaking the NHL record of 6 that had been set by Dominik Hašek the previous year. Despite this, the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP was awarded to Anaheim goaltender Jean-Sébastien Giguère, who became the first player not on the championship team to be named playoff MVP since Ron Hextall of Philadelphia in 1987. Some hockey writers speculated a New Jersey player did not win because there were multiple candidates, resulting in a split vote among the sportswriters who selected the winner.

When he was 12 years old, Brodeur briefly intended to stop playing hockey, after he had been removed from his team’s lineup for not showing up at a game. Following a conversation with his brother Claude, though, he decided to continue playing. When receiving goaltending instructions in his teens, Brodeur was taught a variety of different styles, ranging from butterfly to stand-up, and paid attention to the technique of others playing the position. He attended a camp run by retired Soviet goalie Vladislav Tretiak, who encouraged the use of multiple methods; Brodeur believes that the concept made him “a student of the game.” In the 1989–90 season, he made it to the Quebec Major Junior League. While playing with the Saint-Hyacinthe Laser, Brodeur made the QMJHL All-Rookie team in 1989–90 and the QMJHL Second All-Star Team in 1991–92. Brodeur was drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the first round (20th overall) in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft.

Brodeur married Melanie Dubois (a native of Saint-Liboire, Quebec) in August 1995 with whom he has four children: Anthony, born in 1995; twin sons, William and Jeremy, born in 1996; and Anabelle Antoinette, 2002. Melanie filed for divorce during the 2003 playoffs amid reports that Brodeur was having an affair with Genevieve Nault, the wife of Melanie’s brother. The incident was referred to by opposing fans during the playoffs. The reports proved to be true, as he and Genevieve married in June 2008. Their first child together, Maxime Philippe Brodeur, was born in November 2009.

In the 1996–97 season, the Devils finished third in the NHL. Brodeur was runner-up for the Vezina Trophy, was named to the All-Star team, and had the lowest goals against average by a goalie in almost 30 years, earning him the Jennings Trophy. He also had 10 shutouts and a .927 save percentage. On April 17, 1997, in the first game of a first-round playoff matchup against the Montreal Canadiens, Brodeur fired the puck the length of the ice and into the Canadiens’ empty net to ensure a 5–2 victory. It was only the second time in NHL history that a goaltender had scored in the playoffs, and the fifth time overall. The Devils went on to win that series, but lost in the second round to the rival New York Rangers.

During the 1999–2000 season, on February 15, 2000, Brodeur was credited with his second career goal, as Brodeur was the last Devils player on the ice to touch the puck before Daymond Langkow of the Flyers accidentally put the puck into his own empty net during a delayed penalty call against the Devils. Brodeur had previously stopped an attempted Flyers shot.

In the 2002 Olympics at Salt Lake City, Utah, Brodeur was initially named the backup behind Curtis Joseph. But following Joseph’s losing the tournament opener against Sweden, Brodeur was named the starting goaltender the rest of the way, and won gold for Canada. He went undefeated in the tournament, stopping 31 of 33 shots in the gold-medal victory over Team USA.

Brodeur then led Team Canada to a World Cup of Hockey championship in 2004, allowing only five goals in five games. He led all goalies in GAA and save percentage while going undefeated. He had another impressive performance for the team at the world hockey championships in the following year. After this, The Sports Forecaster 2005–06 said the following:

In 2005, Brodeur began co-authoring his autobiography, Brodeur: Beyond the Crease, with long-time Toronto Star columnist and ESPN contributor Damien Cox, which was released in October 2006. Some of the things Brodeur talks about in the book are player salaries and contracts, NHL marketing, Lou Lamoriello, and the Devils’ new arena in Newark, the Prudential Center. Brodeur also includes his views on the “new NHL” after the lockout, and how it affected his career.

After the 2004–05 NHL lockout canceled the 2004–05 season, Brodeur signed a contract extension with the Devils on January 27, 2006, that would pay him $31.2 million over six years. In the 2005–06 season he posted 43 wins, adding onto his NHL records of what were now five 40-win seasons and ten consecutive 30-win seasons. After struggling early in the season, his improved play later on made him a finalist for the Vezina Trophy for the third straight year, and helped lead the Devils to a surprising comeback in the last two months of the season that resulted in them winning the Atlantic Division in the final game of the year. In the first round of the playoffs, he won a postseason series against the Rangers for the first time in his career, leading the Devils to a four-game sweep. But a 4–1 series loss to the Carolina Hurricanes eliminated the Devils in the next round.

In the 2006–07 season, Brodeur made his ninth NHL All-Star Game appearance in Dallas, Texas, won his third Vezina Trophy and rose on several NHL records lists. On December 8, 2006, he posted a 2–0 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers for his 462nd career win, moving him into second place on the all-time list ahead of Ed Belfour. Just a few weeks later, on December 26, Brodeur beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3–0 to record his 85th career shutout, moving him past Glenn Hall for third place on that all-time list and first place among all active goalies. On February 1, 2007, Brodeur beat the Philadelphia Flyers 6–5 in overtime to take the all-time lead in overtime (non-shootout) wins with 45, passing Roy. The Devils’ first 38 wins of the season were all with Brodeur in net, leading him to set a NHL record for most consecutive wins for a team.

Brodeur was selected as Team Canada’s starter in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. He started in 4 games, but Canada failed to win a medal after losing to Russia in the quarterfinals.

On April 3, 2007, Brodeur tied the NHL record for most wins in a single season with 47, set by Bernie Parent in 1973–74, in a 2–1 shootout victory against the Ottawa Senators. Two days later, he broke the record with his 48th win in a 3–2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers, which helped the Devils clinch the Atlantic Division title.

In the 2007–08 season, Brodeur became the second goalie in NHL history to reach 500 wins with a victory against the Flyers on November 17, 2007. The only other goalie to achieve the feat is Roy. Brodeur was also named the starting goalie for the Eastern Conference in the 2007–08 NHL All Star Game in Atlanta. However, he was unable to participate because of a family obligation.

Brodeur started wearing a new painted mask design for the 2008–09 NHL season with a stylized “MB30” on the front, replacing the “J” that had been on his mask for nearly his entire NHL career. During a game on November 1, 2008, Brodeur suffered a “bruised elbow” which would later be diagnosed as a torn distal biceps tendon, the first major injury in his career. Following surgery on November 6, he would miss 16 weeks of the season before playing his next game on February 26, 2009. Upon returning from the injury, Brodeur registered a 4–0 shutout against the Colorado Avalanche for his 99th career shutout. Three days later, he recorded his 100th career shutout against the Philadelphia Flyers, three short of Terry Sawchuk’s NHL record.

At the 2009 NHL General Managers’ Meeting, it was discussed whether the rule should be eliminated as a solution to the increasing number of injuries on defenseman who were being hit hard by forechecking forwards. The forecheckers were no longer impeded by defencemen holding them up because of the crackdown on interference, which created situations where defencemen were being hit at high speeds. Brodeur believed that revoking the trapezoid could result in more scoring and more exciting games. He explained, “If you give the liberty to the goalies to play the puck, they’ll mess up more than they’re successful.” He also expressed his concern for defencemen, “It’s a no-brainer if they want to start to eliminate these huge hits for the defencemen … Whenever my defencemen or somebody was getting a big hit, I felt guilty that I let that guy get hit like that. Now, I’ve got to sit and watch all the time … You’ve got to try to find something because so many guys are getting hurt.” At the time of his statement, Devils defencemen Paul Martin, Johnny Oduya and Bryce Salvador were all out with injuries.

Beginning in 2009, Brodeur broke a number of career records for goaltenders. He missed 50 games in the 2008–09 season, but a winning streak upon his return pushed him near the NHL’s all-time win record. On March 14, 2009, the Devils defeated the Canadiens 3–1 to give him the 551st win of his career, tying him with Roy for the NHL record. Three days later, Brodeur surpassed Roy with a 3–2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks in New Jersey.

Brodeur topped another of Roy’s previous marks on November 27, as he set the record for the most minutes played in the NHL, which had been 60,235. His 1,030th career appearance, which happened on December 18, broke Roy’s record of 1,029. He also set the mark for the most regular-season shutouts with a 4–0 win against the Penguins on December 21, breaking Sawchuk’s record of 103. On December 30, 2009, Brodeur and the Devils shut out the Penguins, 2–0. It was his 105th career shutout, giving him the all-time professional record, surpassing George Hainsworth’s total of 104 combined in the NHL (94) and Western Canada Hockey League (10). On April 6, 2010, Brodeur reached his 600th career win by defeating the Thrashers 3–0. This was also his 110th career shutout.

Brodeur resides in New Jersey, and became a naturalized United States citizen on December 1, 2009, but per IIHF rules would only be able to compete for Canada.

During the off-season of 2012, Brodeur hired agent Pat Brisson, leading many analysts to believe he would test free-agency or retire. However, on July 2, 2012, Brodeur agreed to a two-year, $9 million deal to remain with the Devils, alongside backup goalie Johan Hedberg. On March 21, 2013, in his first game back from a month-long absence due to a pinched nerve injury in his upper back, Brodeur was credited with a power play goal against the Carolina Hurricanes, making him the only NHL goalie to record three career goals, and the first goalie to score on the power play since Evgeni Nabokov in 2002. Brodeur had a 13–9–7 record in his 29 appearances in 2012–13, with a 2.22 GAA. The following season, he shared the Devils’ starting goalie position with Cory Schneider, whose 45 games played were six more than Brodeur’s total. Brodeur’s statistical performance declined, as his GAA increased to 2.51, more than half a goal higher than Schneider. In 39 games played, Brodeur had a .901 save percentage, lower than the league average. Among his 19 wins in 2013–14 was a victory in the season finale against Boston, his 688th for New Jersey. On June 6, 2014, Brodeur told ESPN he would test the free agency market for the 2014–15 season, and his 21-year tenure with the Devils ended.

On June 30, 2013, the Devils traded for the 208th pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft and Brodeur was asked to make the announcement to select his son, Anthony. In August 2015, Anthony signed with the Penticton Vees of the British Columbia Hockey League.

On November 26, 2014 Brodeur signed a tryout contract with the St. Louis Blues after their starting netminder, Brian Elliott, was injured. A week later, on December 2, Brodeur signed a one-year, $700,000 deal with the Blues.

On January 27, 2015, it was reported that Brodeur had decided to retire from the NHL. The decision followed Elliott’s return to the Blues, as Brodeur had been demoted to the team’s number-three goalie behind Elliott and Jake Allen. Brodeur announced the news at a press conference two days later. He retired having started just five games with the Blues, going 3–3–0 in seven appearances. His final NHL win was a 3–0 shutout against the Avalanche on December 29, 2014.

Upon announcing his retirement, Brodeur was hired by the Blues as a special assistant to general manager Doug Armstrong. On May 22, 2015, Armstrong announced that Brodeur and the Blues had agreed to a three-year contract naming Brodeur as an assistant general manager of the team.

On February 8, 2016, the New Jersey Devils unveiled a bronze statue of Brodeur which is displayed outside the Prudential Center. The statue was formally dedicated on October 22, 2016, in a ceremony before the game against the Minnesota Wild. On February 9, 2016, Brodeur’s number 30 jersey was retired by the Devils.

On July 25, 2017, Brodeur was appointed a management team member for Canada’s men’s team for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, Korea.

On August 29, 2018, Brodeur joined the Devils as executive vice president of business development. On January 12, 2020, Brodeur became an advisor to and on hockey operations after general manager Ray Shero was fired.

Brodeur is remembered for his playing style: writer Katie Strang called him “one of the most innovative [goalies] ever to play the game”, due to his “superior puck-handling skills”. Scott Gomez, a former teammate of Brodeur in New Jersey, considered his goalie to be the equivalent of an extra defenceman. A rule disallowing goalies from handling the puck outside a trapezoid shaped area behind the net is called “The Brodeur Rule” by some who believe his tendency to play the puck in the corners inspired the rule. His playing style proved uncommon among goalies of his era, as most of his competitors used a butterfly style exclusively. On June 26, 2018, it was announced that Brodeur would be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.