NEWARK, N.J. — A season that was to be a historic one for New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur has been put on hold and his team's run of 11 consecutive playoff appearances also appears to be in jeopardy.

Brodeur will have surgery Thursday morning to repair a torn distal biceps tendon in his left elbow and is expected to miss three to four months. The procedure will be performed by orthopedic surgeon Steven Beldner of Beth Israel Medical Center in Manhattan.

"I'm in shock a little bit, but I don't feel too bad," Brodeur said in a conference call Tuesday afternoon. "This is something that I didn't see coming, but I understand the whole process of it. We took our time. We didn't make a decision on it right away. We made sure we saw a few doctors and we did our homework about the surgery that is going to be done."

Brodeur, whose tendon was torn completely off the bone at the elbow, said his arm will be immobilized for eight weeks following the surgery before he can begin physical therapy. Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello said Brodeur should be back in time to finish the regular season.

"This is not a career-ending injury," Lamoriello said. "This is a bump in the road. (He'll have) a total recovery, 100 percent, and with this type of surgery there is no doubt and I have total confidence that he will be back in a short period of time."

The loss could prove devastating for a Devils team that has not missed the playoffs since 1995-96. Now, however, they might have to play more than 50 games without their future Hall of Famer, who has won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goaltender four of the last five seasons.

"When you have a Marty Brodeur as a goaltender and he's out for a significant amount of time, sure it certainly gives you a knot in your stomach, but you have to move forward," Devils coach Brent Sutter said.

Kevin Weekes, who made 28 saves in Monday's 2-0 loss to Buffalo, will take over as the team's No. 1 goaltender and will start again Wednesday night against Tampa Bay. Coincidentally, Weekes had surgery this summer to repair a torn biceps tendon in his left elbow and was healthy in time for the start of training camp in September. Weekes' tendon was only partially torn, though.

Brodeur, 36, was injured in the second period of Saturday's 6-1 win over Atlanta. He stretched out fully with his left arm to try to make a catching glove save on a shot that went wide.

"I just extended my arm real quick and I just felt a pop and a stabbing kind of feeling in my bicep," Brodeur said. "From there, I knew something was wrong."

The Devils initially said it was a bruised elbow, but Brodeur knew it was something significant. An MRI and visits to several doctors confirmed the worst.

"I didn't want to have surgery if I didn't need to, but they feel it's the best way to repair what I have," he said.

Brodeur is just eight wins away from breaking Patrick Roy's NHL record of 551 career victories. That will have to wait.

"Hopefully, I'll come back healthy and with enough games to be able to reach it this season," Brodeur said. "But right now that's way outside my thinking process. I'm excited to be so close and I know it's a hard thing to do and this just proves you have to be healthy to do it."

Brodeur has been remarkably durable in his 15-season NHL career, in which he has started at least 70 games 11 times, including the previous 10 seasons. He has not dressed for only 21 games and has never missed more than six games in a row because of an injury (2005 right knee sprain).

His NHL record streaks of three consecutive 40-win seasons and 11 consecutive 35-win seasons will end.

"It's just an unfortunate situation for me and my team, but it is what it is," Brodeur said. "I can't do much about it. My spirits are pretty good. I might as well stay positive.

"There's no reason for me to be negative. It's not something that's going to affect my career at all. My mobility, nothing is going to be a factor with that injury. It's just a question of getting my biceps back into playing shape and whenever that happens, we'll be back playing hockey."