Sean McIndoe did an article on some players who were almost good enough for the hall of fame, here is the bit on Rick Martin:
“The start: A No. 5 overall pick, this player debuted with a 44-goal season that saw him finish as Calder runner-up. He hit the 50-goal mark in his third year, and again in his fourth, starting a stretch in which he was a postseason all-star four straight years.
Through the first five years of this player’s career, he scored the second-most goals in the NHL, trailing only an all-time legend who’d finish with over 700. And the gap between this guy and the third-place scorer in those years was 46 goals.
But then: Injuries slowed his production, before cutting his career short before he turned 30.
The player: Rick Martin
The rest of the way: He was still dominant when healthy, scoring 45 goals in 1979-80, bringing his career total to 375 before he turned 30. But a serious knee injury early the next season all but ended his career; he’d play just 27 more games.
The legacy: He’s probably best remembered today as a member of the Buffalo Sabers’ famous French Connection line, with Gilbert Perreault and Rene Robert.
He was a little before my time, and maybe yours too, but man … I’m not sure I realized how good he was. If Pavel Bure and Paul Kariya were Hall of Famers, was there a stronger case than we realized for Martin?”
https://theathletic.com/5037393/2023/11/08/hockey-hall-of-fame-nhl-stars/
by punkr0x
2 Comments
If they had the ability to do modern day knee surgery in 1980 Martin would have been a Hall of Famer for sure. Assuming he finished his career a Sabre, it’s not hard to believe he could have finished with more goals than Perreault.
Just woke up and read this as Brown Goes Down on Rick Martin. I need coffee.