Brodeur went to Montreal and didn’t hear many fans talk about the lockout

Devils goalie Martin Brodeur knew the NHL lockout would be a back-burner issue in New Jersey, but he didn’t think the topic would fall by the wayside in arguably the most passionate hockey city in the world.

“I just came back from Montreal and I was surprised how it wasn’t talked about much by the fans,” he told The Record on Tuesday.

With that in mind, Brodeur is hopeful this week’s CBA meetings will lead to a deal. Like most hockey fans, he’s getting tired of all the spin and rhetoric and wants to see “progress with these discussions without having guys after meetings blasting the other side.”

Brodeur also provided an update on his broken finger: “It’s still a little tender, but it should be all right.”