WATCH: Capitals, Islanders Salute Martin; He Talks Postgame

ELMONT, N.Y. — The emotions for the night became incredibly strong as the horn sounded one last time in UBS Arena. Yes, the New York Islanders lost their final home game. But as soon as the horn sounded, it became wholly irrelevant.

Matt Martin finished his 986th NHL game, 854 of which came with the Islanders. He joined as a rookie at the end of the 2009-10 campaign and became a beloved figure. He took a two-year detour with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2016-17 and 2017-18 but returned to the Island and hasn’t left.

This morning, it became clear how high emotions were running for him and the team during the morning skate. Kyle Palmieri handed over his ‘A’ for the night. Head Coach Patrick Roy named him to the starting lineup 10 hours before puck drop.

Martin himself broke down. 

Then came tonight. The fans serenaded him, chanting “Matty Martin” all night longer, nearly every time he touched the ice. He came close to scoring with an in-tight redirection in the third period, but Charlie Lindgren kept it out.

When the horn sounded, something special happened.

Capitals, Islanders Teammates Salute Martin:

When you think of Martin, you think of his hard-nosed physicality. Fitting, then, is it that Tom Wilson of the visiting Washington Capitals was the first person to greet him postgame, giving him a hug and exchanging words.

Then, former Islander Anthony Beauvillier gave Martin a bear hug, a clear sign of respect. Soon after, the entire Capitals team came through.

Watch the moment here: https://x.com/rustymac26/status/1912328855282479555

After the Capitals players finished, their current assistant coach, Scott Allen, waved Martin over to the Washington bench to give him a big hug. Allen was the Islanders’ assistant coach under Scott Gordon, then Jack Capuano from 2009 until 2012, the first three years Martin was in the league. Just another nice thing for Martin.

After that, Martin took in the moment. The fans again cheered for him. He waved his teammates over and afterward told us “I was standing on the ice by myself long enough. It’s good to have my friends with me.”

That moment resulted in a huge group hug: https://x.com/ethan_sears/status/1912328950665068743

Martin Discusses His Night:

Postgame, Martin took his time answering questions. Martin said when he woke up, he expected nothing. As the day unfolded, plans changed. As for what this means to him with his teammates:

“I didn’t want to be singled out in any way. These guys mean so much to me. I wanted them to be up there with me, so many guys in here. We all started in this league together, we’ve been through a lot together. Watching them all get married, our families grow up together. It’s a special team, a special group, and obviously, we’re missing a bunch of guys as well.”

Martin specifically mentioned Josh Bailey as one of the guys missing. Former Head Coach Jack Capuano reached out and texted Martin. Martin made it clear he didn’t want to keep naming names, but Martin said today was special.

Memories Over the Years:

As for you, the fans, and the community?

“I’d say between Clarky [the late Clark Gillies] kind of showing me my first few years, one of his charity events in a lot of ways, taking me under his wing. Always kind of telling me how important it is to get involved and how great the people are here… Like I said, the fans have always supported everything I’ve done. From a charity standpoint especially, a lot of the same faces every year.”

As for his moment at puck-drop, lined up against Beauvillier, Martin made the whole room laugh when he said “He [Beauvillier] asked me if I wanted to go. He’s a scrappy little guy, though. You’ve got to be careful with him.”

The laughing moment turned melancholy, immediately making Martin reflect on the deep playoff runs:

“Certainly great memories and heartbreaking ones at the same time. Game 7 losing 1-0 on a short-handed goal is still the most emotional I’ve probably ever been. Most of the guys in this room will probably have ever been. We had great teams those years and it was just such a good run. Even the bubble, being away from your family for two and a half months made us so close as a team. While it was tough in the moment, it’s something you look back on and can find appreciation for. Like I said, it’s a special team, a special group. We do have some strong memories together. It fell short, but that’s how life goes.”