No goalie has made more saves in a Stanley Cup Playoff game that Hrudey. His 73-save performance for the New York Islanders in the "Easter Epic" against the Washington Capitals in Game 7 of the 1987 Patrick Division Semifinal has never been equaled.

The Islanders selected Hrudey in the second round (No. 38) of the 1980 NHL Draft. He made his NHL debut against Washington on Oct. 8, 1983, earning a win in relief. Hrudey went 7-2-0 in 1983-84 as the No. 3 goalie behind Billy Smith and Roland Melanson. But he moved up to No. 2 after the Islanders traded Melanson early in the 1984-85 season and split time with Smith in the regular season until the future Hall of Famer retired after the 1988-89 season.

Hrudey played all 14 playoff games in 1987 and was the starter when New York finished first in the Patrick Division in 1987-88 but was in goal when the Islanders lost their first-round playoff series to the New Jersey Devils that season. When the Islanders fell toward the bottom of the standings the following season, Hrudey was traded to the Los Angeles Kings on Feb. 22, 1989.

Playing their first season after acquiring Wayne Gretzky, the Kings needed goaltending help and Hrudey delivered. He helped Los Angeles defeat Gretzky's old team, the Edmonton Oilers, in the first round of the 1989 playoffs. Four years later, he rebounded from a middling regular season to help the Kings reach the Stanley Cup Final in 1993 for the first time, though they lost to the Montreal Canadiens in five games.

Hrudey signed with the San Jose Sharks as a free agent on Aug. 18. 1996. He played two seasons with San Jose before retiring. He finished 271-265 with 88 ties, a 3.43 goals-against average, .893 save percentage and 17 shutouts in 677 games (625 starts). In the playoffs, he was 36-46 with a 3.29 GAA and .891 save percentage.

After retiring, Hrudey became a popular broadcaster, working on "Hockey Night in Canada" with CBC and Sportsnet.