Martin Brodeur vs Roberto Luongo

From Pierre Lebrun

Oh, sure, it’s just a game, and nothing that happens Wednesday night when Martin Brodeur and Roberto Luongo square off in New Jersey will have much bearing on the Olympic jobs handed out in February.

But just so everyone knows, Team Canada GM Steve Yzerman will indeed be watching the Canucks-Devils game.

“I’m going to TiVo it and watch it later,” Yzerman told ESPN.com on Tuesday. “I’m going to be at another game [Tampa at Boston], but when I saw this game [Canucks-Devils] on the schedule, I wanted to make sure I watched it.”

So there … it’s not just the media making a big deal out of it, OK?

“To be honest with you, it’s exciting to play against Marty, period,” Luongo told us Tuesday. “Just because we’re from the same hometown and he’s one of the greatest of all time. That’s really the only reason for me. I don’t think one game is going to decide anything with regards to the Olympics.”

Brodeur chuckled Tuesday when reached by ESPN.com, fully understanding the reason for the hype. He gets it. In his native country, a showdown like this between two likely Team Canada goalies generates much interest.

“I think it’s a great story line for the day,” said Brodeur. “We can’t blame people for looking at that and making it a challenge between him and I. It’s cool, but I think by Thursday at 2 p.m., everyone will have forgotten what happened [laughs].

Full story here