Matt Martin Hangs Up His Skates: End of an Era in the NHL
Veteran player Matt Martin announced his retirement this Tuesday, marking the end of a 16-season career in the NHL. He dedicated most of his career, 14 seasons, to the New York Islanders, leaving an indelible mark on the league. Martin’s departure reduces the number of players competing without a visor to a select group. This change is significant, as Martin was one of the few who maintained this tradition on the ice. With his move to the Islanders’ management as special assistant to general manager Mathieu Darche, professional hockey loses another iconic player. Now, only Ryan O’Reilly, Jamie Benn, Zach Bogosian, and Ryan Reaves continue to play without the protection of a visor. In 2013, the NHL and the Players’ Association agreed to make the use of visors mandatory for new players, following a model similar to the implementation of helmets decades ago.Martin played his last game, out of a total of 1,075 regular season and playoff games, on April 17. Craig MacTavish, who played until 1997, was the last player without a helmet in the NHL. Martin considers Benn and O’Reilly as “the favorites” to be the last without a visor.If it were mandatory, I would have used it. I took it off because of the role I play, and at that time, everyone playing that role didn’t use it. I got used to that, so I never changed it.
Matt Martin
