Matt Martin's next game will be No. 900 for his career
New York Islanders left wing Matt Martin. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Matt Martin, on the cusp of his 900th NHL game on Tuesday night against the Coyotes at UBS Arena, hasn’t looked ahead to possibly reaching 1,000. At 34 and in the last season of his four-year, $6 million deal, reaching that milestone certainly isn’t guaranteed for the Islanders’ fan favorite.
“I’ve never really thought about these things,” Martin said on Monday after practice at Northwell Health Ice Center in East Meadow. “Just play the games, recover and get ready for the next one. You try to live in the moment as much as possible. Nine hundred is a big number and an achievement but, a couple of days later, hopefully I’ll play 901.”
Martin has 77 goals, 91 assists and 1,115 penalty minutes in 899 regular-season games as his 15th NHL season gets underway -- 13 with the Islanders, plus two with the Maple Leafs from 2016-18.
“When you see a guy every day, you find out what type of quality and character he has,” coach Lane Lambert said. “And this person is second to none. There’s a reason he’s been in his role for a long time. He plays it well.”
That includes 106 career fights, per hockeyfights.com, and Martin accurately recalled while sitting at his locker stall on Monday that his first NHL regular-season fight came against the Penguins’ Tyler Kennedy on Feb. 10, 2010, and his first fight at Nassau Coliseum was against the Lightning’s Nate Thompson, a former teammate, three days later.
Martin also recalled some other career highlights: His first game (Feb. 9, 2010 against the Predators at the Coliseum); his first points (two assists against the Predators that night); his first goal (Oct. 29, 2010 against the visiting Canadiens); the Islanders’ first outdoor game (a 2-1 loss to the Rangers at Yankee Stadium on Jan. 29, 2014); and the Islanders’ first game back at the Coliseum after moving to Barclays Center in Brooklyn (against the Blue Jackets on Dec. 1, 2018).
But, mostly, Martin is aware of what playing in the NHL, and for the Islanders, has meant to his life.
“I’m certainly appreciative of it all and very blessed and grateful,” said Martin, originally from Windsor, Ontario. “Not only the opportunity to play in the NHL, but how long I’ve been with this team. I got married here and settled my life down here and we’ve got two kids that are going to grow up in this community.”
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
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