One moment Matt Martin was joking about his emotions, saying his wife would be happy to hear him say he was feeling something ahead of what’s presumed to be his last home game with the Islanders.
The next, all the emotion was pouring out of him at once, a wave that’s been building all season crashing like a tsunami.
Martin took a long pause. He put his head down. His lip quivered.
“I’ve been so proud to wear this jersey and be a part of this team and community,” he said.
He buried his face in his shirt.
“Obviously don’t know what the future holds,” he said. “Through the good and the bad, the heartbreaks and all of it, it’s always been a pleasure to be a part of this team and wear this uniform. Excited to get out and play tonight and go from there.”
This was all hours before the game itself, when Martin will wear an ‘A’ — somehow the first time he’s ever done so in a regular-season game — and will be in the starting lineup against the Capitals, the Islanders giving him some well-deserved flowers.
Outside of Casey Cizikas and Cal Clutterbuck, who hold co-equal status here, no one embodied the era of Islanders hockey that’s currently coming to a close like Matt Martin.
There was a reason that trio started just about every game under Barry Trotz. They set a tone, created the identity. They were hardworking, blue-collar, physical and grinding. Their persona was perfect for Long Island and perfect for the Islanders.
Martin has repeatedly declined to address his future, so it’s technically possible he tries to give it another go next season, with 14 games left to hit 1,000 for his career.
But it was already shocking that he came back this year, taking a tryout contract, parlaying it into a roster spot early in the season after injuries hit and sticking around to play 30 games and give support wherever he could.
Unlike a year ago, the air of finality around Martin extends to the player and the organization.
“He’s been a really good friend and teammate for a long time,” captain Anders Lee said. “I’ve had the pleasure to be in the room with him and go through a lot with him on the ice and in the room. Just a special person that I think has had one hell of a career.
“Deserves all the recognition and honors moving forward and being recognized as one of the great Islanders for what he’s done for this team and organization.”
Fittingly, Martin was nominated Tuesday as the Islanders’ candidate for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, given to the player “who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution to his community.”
Martin runs an annual hockey camp in the summer at the Islanders’ practice facility, and his foundation contributes to several causes including the fight against cystic fibrosis.
“I think the impact he’s made in the community, the way he’s handled himself and represented being an Islander, it doesn’t get any more true than Marty,” Lee, last year’s Clancy winner, said.
It’s been a hard year for the Islanders, watching Brock Nelson get traded in March and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2022.
The core that got them two memorable conference final runs is all but officially done now, with Martin likely to join Nelson, Cal Clutterbuck and Josh Bailey as recent departures.
“Separate times, but over the course of a year and a half, stuff like that, you feel it,” Lee said. “Each time one of those guys left, it felt like a piece of who we were was taking their next steps.”
This one is as emotional as any.
“This is a special place,” Martin said.
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