Matt Martin announces retirement and lands a new job with the NY Islanders

You really didn't think Matt Martin was done with the New York Islanders, did you?

On the same day he announced his retirement from the NHL after 15 seasons, Martin was named Special Assistant to the General Manager by new Isles GM Mathieu Darche. That’s right—one door closes, and Martin’s already walking through the next one in the same breath. Martin gets to remain on Long Island and be employed by the team he showed unwavering loyalty to season after season.

For 13 of his 15 NHL seasons, Martin gave everything he had to this franchise. He bled blue and orange. Nearly 1,000 games. Almost 1,000 penalty minutes. Four-line grinder? Sure. But more than that, he was the heartbeat of the locker room, the guy who’d throw a hit in the first minute to wake up the building. And now, he's moving into a role where he can help shape the team's future in any small way he can, in support of the new General Manager.

Drafted by the Isles in 2008, Martin debuted in 2010, battled through the dark years of Islanders hockey, played a key part in the resurgence, and now stays in the family while his family at home grows (his wife, Sydney, just gave birth to twin boys). It’s like the perfect story arc for a kid raised in Windsor but grew up on Long Island, with a pitstop in Toronto before he returned for the start of the Lou Lamorello and Barry Trotz era, which ushered in the most success for the franchise since the dynasty years of the early 1980s.

Martin made the Islanders last season following a PTO (Professional Tryout) and played 32 games. Martin's NHL career ends with just 13 games short of 1,000, playing 987 games with 855 on Long Island. He was able to dress in the final games of the season. He got a grand sendoff at UBS Arena, which included acknowledgment and recognition from the Washington Capitals, which demonstrated the amount of respect Martin earned throughout his career.