Brodeur’s Goal Is to Score

He shoots (well, sort of). He scores.

He’s a goaltender?

If he keeps this up, Martin Brodeur may soon be the only goaltender whose goals-for average is as impressive as his goals-against.

Brodeur was credited with his second career goal when he was the last New Jersey player to touch the puck before Philadelphia center Daymond Langkow accidentally shot it into his own net.

Brodeur’s previous goal was a length-of-the-ice shot into an open net during a 1997 playoff game.

A goal by a goaltender occurs about as often as an unassisted triple play in baseball. There have been five such regular-season goals and two playoff goals, with Brodeur and Ron Hextall each doing it twice. The others were by Billy Smith, Chris Osgood and Damian Rhodes.

Brodeur was as surprised as anyone when he heard his name announced as scoring, but he does take pride in his stock-handling ability. And, yes, he actually practices putting the puck into the net from nearly 200 feet away.

“I work on my shot,” Brodeur said.

Brodeur has an excellent shot at another record: most wins in a season by a goaltender. Bernie Parent hold the record with 47 in 1973-74, and Brodeur is ahead of his pace.

Interestingly, Parent recently called Brodeur to request tickets for a sold-out game. Brodeur supplied the tickets, then went out and won the game.

KIDD GLOVE TREATMENT: Florida Panthers coach Terry Murray must soon make a difficult decision before every game.

Who will start in goal: Trevor Kidd or Mike Vernon?

Kidd was enjoying an All-Star caliber season before injuring a shoulder during the team’s skills competition. Vernon was subsequently picked up in a trade to replace him, and the Panthers have not had a significant drop-off in performance with him in net.

No doubt Murray must treat this delicate situation with, ahem, Kidd glove care. If he plays Vernon too much, Kidd will get angry and it may affect his play. But should Vernon stagnate on the bench, he won’t be nearly as effective when the Panthers do need him.

How effectively Murray pulls off this juggling act may very well determine how deep the Panthers advance into the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Kidd will play a game or two at Louisville (AHL), beginning Sunday in Hershey, Pa., before returning to the Panthers, possibly Feb. 24 against Carolina.

DOUBLES, ANYONE? Anna Kournikova apparently isn’t the only tennis star who found her mixed doubles partner in . . . a hockey rink?

Kournikova’s romance with Florida Panthers star Pavel Bure, the MVP of the recent All-Star game was the talk of the NHL earlier this season--especially since he previously dated Sergei Fedorov of the Detroit Red Wings.

Now, Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Pavel Kubina has revealed he is dating top-ranked tennis star Martina Hingis.

“We’ve played tennis, seen some movies and gone to dinners,” he told the St. Petersburg Times.

Given her excellent backhand, Hingis might give the last-place Lightning one of their few scoring threats should Kubina ever coax her onto skates.

GET YOUR TICKETS: The fans weren’t the only ones listening when Ottawa Senators owner Rod Bryden threatened to move the club unless season-ticket sales increase next season.

The Senators players, plus a group of team executives, staff and coaches, pooled $100,000 to buy 50 season tickets for charity.

The team’s apparently successful push to stay in Ottawa also got a boost from a brewery that is donating $2 to the Senators for every case of beer sold in the Ottawa area. The effort is expected to raise several hundred thousand dollars.

CU-JEERS: Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Curtis Joseph has been slumping since the All-Star game, so much so he is being booed regularly inside the Air Canada Centre.

It’s almost like Babe Ruth being booed in New York, but Joseph doesn’t blame his slump--or his sudden lack of popularity--on a post-All-Star letdown.

“Pucks are going into the net, that’s for sure,” he said. “This is probably the toughest time we’ve gone through since I’ve been here.”