G
GeorgeKramer
Guest
I did an Internet search of Tom's name and found this posted on www.wnymedia.net.
Glad to see he's still hanging around and on top of the local news.
A real pro who hopefully gets a second chance somewhere in WNY at either an AM or FM station:
Much of the commentary on the passing of Richard Martin has been seasoned with disclaimers stating “I never saw him play, but….”
At 49 years old, I’m just the right age to have grown up as the Sabres came into existence and took over the Buffalo sports scene in the early 70s. Yeah, I remember Rick Martin as a player.
I was a Perreault guy. My first sports memories revolve around discovering the Sabres in 1970, and watching Gilbert break the rookie scoring record. He scored the first goal in the first game I attended, sitting in the grey seats at the Aud in February ’71 against the Kings. I was hooked for life.
When Martin showed up the next year I wasn’t as big a fan. Perreault was elegant. Martin seemed brutish to me, all slapshot, no refinement. I admit when he broke Perreault’s record on a Saturday night in Toronto, I was more than a bit disappointed.
It took the third spoke in the wheel to turn me around. When Rene Robert showed up and the French Connection was joined, I went from a Perreault fan (who also still liked the Leafs….ugh!) to a Sabre fan. At their best, they were perfection. Perreault could, of course, skate and deke in an unequaled manner, but just as important was his size and strength on skates. That combination struck fear into opposing defenseman and opened up acres of room for Martin to unload. Robert was responsible enough defensively to let you overlook that the other two weren’t at all. Rene also was the only decent power play QB in franchise history, and a clutch goal scorer to boot.
So now I could just sit back and enjoy the ride. The highlights you’ve seen in recent days don’t do it justice. Martin was SCARY. That shot was so heavy, it tore the catching glove off a goaltender’s hand on more than one occasion. Perhaps more than any player, Martin’s style shows how much the game has changed since he played. He became a 50-goal scored by roaring down the wing and unleashing slappers from the top of the circle. Tiny-tot goaltenders wearing burlap sacks stuffed with horsehair were no match. I think they got out of the way on purpose.
Rick could also dangle a little bit, and had a nice touch closer to the net as well. I think he’d be a top-ten power forward in the league today, but for better or worse, none of the Connection’s unique talents are as valued today across the NHL as they were then.
More has been written about Rick off the ice than on this week, so I’ll just add this: he was easily the most-accessible high-profile athlete in Buffalo history. He just became a regular guy, with a family and a business and a great story or two, whether you encountered him on a golf course or a barstool. For a guy born in Verdun, Quebec, he couldn’t have been more Buffalo. And that’s the best compliment I can pay.
Glad to see he's still hanging around and on top of the local news.
A real pro who hopefully gets a second chance somewhere in WNY at either an AM or FM station:
Much of the commentary on the passing of Richard Martin has been seasoned with disclaimers stating “I never saw him play, but….”
At 49 years old, I’m just the right age to have grown up as the Sabres came into existence and took over the Buffalo sports scene in the early 70s. Yeah, I remember Rick Martin as a player.
I was a Perreault guy. My first sports memories revolve around discovering the Sabres in 1970, and watching Gilbert break the rookie scoring record. He scored the first goal in the first game I attended, sitting in the grey seats at the Aud in February ’71 against the Kings. I was hooked for life.
When Martin showed up the next year I wasn’t as big a fan. Perreault was elegant. Martin seemed brutish to me, all slapshot, no refinement. I admit when he broke Perreault’s record on a Saturday night in Toronto, I was more than a bit disappointed.
It took the third spoke in the wheel to turn me around. When Rene Robert showed up and the French Connection was joined, I went from a Perreault fan (who also still liked the Leafs….ugh!) to a Sabre fan. At their best, they were perfection. Perreault could, of course, skate and deke in an unequaled manner, but just as important was his size and strength on skates. That combination struck fear into opposing defenseman and opened up acres of room for Martin to unload. Robert was responsible enough defensively to let you overlook that the other two weren’t at all. Rene also was the only decent power play QB in franchise history, and a clutch goal scorer to boot.
So now I could just sit back and enjoy the ride. The highlights you’ve seen in recent days don’t do it justice. Martin was SCARY. That shot was so heavy, it tore the catching glove off a goaltender’s hand on more than one occasion. Perhaps more than any player, Martin’s style shows how much the game has changed since he played. He became a 50-goal scored by roaring down the wing and unleashing slappers from the top of the circle. Tiny-tot goaltenders wearing burlap sacks stuffed with horsehair were no match. I think they got out of the way on purpose.
Rick could also dangle a little bit, and had a nice touch closer to the net as well. I think he’d be a top-ten power forward in the league today, but for better or worse, none of the Connection’s unique talents are as valued today across the NHL as they were then.
More has been written about Rick off the ice than on this week, so I’ll just add this: he was easily the most-accessible high-profile athlete in Buffalo history. He just became a regular guy, with a family and a business and a great story or two, whether you encountered him on a golf course or a barstool. For a guy born in Verdun, Quebec, he couldn’t have been more Buffalo. And that’s the best compliment I can pay.
