Matt Martin’s brother was watching a recent telecast when a graphic came up that showed that the Islanders’ left winger had racked up 98 fights during his NHL career.
This past Tuesday night, Martin played in his 800th career National Hockey League game, so he certainly has been around long enough to participate in that many battles.
“Pretty crazy,” said the 32-year-old Martin. “Obviously fighting is not as prominent as it used to be. When I first came in the league, I’d probably fight 15 times a year, but it’s way down now. I've had some really good ones over the years and some that haven’t gone so well for me too.”
Fighting hasn’t been the only thing that Martin has been known for during his 13-year NHL career, all but two of those seasons with the Islanders. He has 69 goals and 77 assists along with 1,039 penalty minutes during his career, a good chunk of which has been spent alongside Casey Cizikas and Cal Clutterbuck on the Islanders’ fourth line – or as Head Coach Barry Trotz likes to call it, the “Identity Line.”
For the Windsor, Ontario native, Long Island is now part of his identity; not just because he’s played most of his career with the Islanders, but also because it’s where he has now planted roots and has started a family. It was during his first stint with the Islanders when he met Sydney Esiason, the daughter of WFAN Mornings’ own Boomer Esiason.
Following the 2015-16 season, Martin became a free agent and signed a four-year deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Lou Lamoriello was the GM in Toronto at the time, and when Lamoriello was named Islanders President and General Manager in 2018, he reacquired Martin in a trade prior to the 2018-19 season, bringing Matty Marts back to the organization that selected him in the fifth round of the 2008 NHL Draft.
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“It’s special. Long Island has become my home. It’s a place that is very special to me, the place that gave me my first opportunity,” Martin said. “I was fortunate enough, after my stint in Toronto, to get the opportunity to come back. A lot of guys, when they leave their team or end up on a different team, don’t ever get that opportunity again. I was pretty blessed and fortunate to have that opportunity.”
Following his first season back with the Islanders, Matt married Sydney on June 29th, 2019, and they welcomed daughter Windsor on July 14th, 2020. That was during the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic, and just before Matt and the Islanders departed for the playoff bubble in Canada that saw them make a run to the Eastern Conference Final.
“Obviously, over the last few years had some pretty cool runs and a lot of great memories,” said Martin. “It’s a great thing. I love being here and being part of this team, and hopefully can be here for years to come.”
Martin is in the second year of a four-year contract that he signed following the 2019-20 season, an Islander through and through (despite that brief run in Toronto) who wears the sweater with pride. Thursday night’s game against Columbus at UBS Arena will be the 669th contest for Martin in an Islanders uniform, and that will bring him within five of tying Islanders Hall of Fame goalie Billy Smith for tenth on the team’s all-time list.
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Martin has Top 10 cred in another category, too, as his 866 penalty minutes are eighth in Islanders history, just 25 behind the late Clark Gillies.
Those are 866 minutes that, much like his decade-plus in the league, have flown by as Matt Martin who continues to live out a dream.
“You remember being the young guy in the locker room, and then quickly you’re the old guy,” said Martin. “It’s been a great ride. This is what I dreamed of doing as a kid, and to be able to fulfill that is pretty awesome. It’s great for myself and great for my family, and hopefully continue to keep going here.”
Matt Martin is an Islander and certainly now a Long Islander, and he’s accomplished a lot for the blue and orange and on the Island. But, there’s still one dream that Martin wants to become reality: to one day hoist the Stanley Cup…and to do it on Long Island with the organization that he loves.
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