Tonight will be Alec Martinez’s first hockey game in Ohio in almost three years. Martinez spent three seasons at Miami University of Ohio, which is about a two-hour drive southwest of Columbus. Martinez still has some friends on the college team, players who were freshmen when Martinez left school after his junior season. “I don’t know if any of my buddies are going to be able to make it, because they don’t get out of the rink until about 5:30,” Martinez said. Martinez still has a connection to the school, as he is fulfilling a promise to his parents to get a college degree while still playing pro hockey…
MARTINEZ: “I’m pretty close. I’m about a semester away now. I’m just kind of chipping away during the summer, chipping away with online classes. I’ll get it eventually. I promised my parents I would, so I have to. … I’m an accounting major. A lot of people find it boring. I don’t know, I guess it is kind of boring, but it’s all right. Everyone always needs an accountant. They have a pretty good business school, and I hated finance, so that was kind of my only option. It’s cool to come back here. Going to school there, I watched a lot of Blue Jackets games. I know a few people around here in Columbus, so it’s somewhat of a homecoming.”
Since being called up from the AHL on Nov. 23, Martinez has been in the lineup for every game and has played 36 games, averaging more than 16 minutes per game in his rookie season.
MARTINEZ: “I’m just trying to get better every day. I’m watching the other guys, a lot of the older guys. I can learn a lot from them, both on and off the ice. So I just observe when I can, learn when I can and try to get better every day. It sounds cliche, but that’s the best way to go about it.”
Question: It’s been you and Matt Greene for a while. Do you feel like there’s some chemistry on the ice there?
MARTINEZ: “I think that we’ve got some good chemistry going. There are little things that, when you start playing with each other for a while, you know where they’re going to be at certain times, things like that. So we’re just getting comfortable with each other. I think we’ve got a good thing going. We’ve just got to keep it going.”
typo rich, you said “murry”
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Rich I think you meant to attribute the middle quote to Martinez not Murray
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Cynic Reply:
February 16th, 2011 at 11:05 am
@Shakes, With as many line changes there have been this year, maybe TM has laced them back up and he’s letting Martinez coach.
Greene-Murray on the back end as a 5-6 could be a nice shutdown combo if TM brings back his game from the early 70′s. ;-p
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How about a 3-point night to celebrate!?
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FKA PakiFro Reply:
February 16th, 2011 at 11:14 am
@Blurker, fine with me, as long as the kings get 2 of them.
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Blurker Reply:
February 16th, 2011 at 11:48 am
@FKA PakiFro, 3 points from Martinez. I’ve got zero desire to see Columbus get ANY points tonight.
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Alec made a HUGE improvment over his stint last year. He was a very pleasant surprise when he came up this year.
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Dominick Reply:
February 16th, 2011 at 11:36 am
@Dan H.,
I remember during the summer, Rich had a poll on which rookie people thought would be the biggest impact player on defense(or something like that). Everybody had their different opinions and why. I was the only one who said Martinez, because he had the most call ups last season, and will probably be more prepared than the other rookies. He had better size, and had a few flashes of good play with a good idea of what to work on during the summer. Getting a taste makes all the difference. The 2 hold outs on D this season will probably come back next camp as monsters.
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As a fellow Miami alum, I’m thrilled Alec is doing so well for the Kings. And I told him so at Meet the Players.
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Now we can see why Muzzin hasn’t been brought back up. You have to hand it to Martinez, he has played great and really improved our team.
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One word comes to mind for me with Martinez…”Solid”
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MaKINGez is a great guy. He was a counselor at some hockey school my kid attended and he was very attentive and gracious. I hope he isn’t so gracious on the ice ,but I’m glad to see him make it back to the club after his auspicious opening game last year. Go Kings!
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Scot Reply:
February 16th, 2011 at 12:04 pm
@clubaclub,
I was at that game, against Phoenix. I think Martinez was wearing number 44, and I was a little worried about him. Where I was sitting, I forget who it was attacking him, Vrbata maybe, but just blew right by Martinez like he wasn’t even there, on his way to scoring the opening goal. I said to my girlfriend, “he won’t be here long.” Sure enough he got sent down shortly after, and never came back. And now this year, he’s awesome! Most improved player of the year in the Kings organization, if you ask me.
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Martinez Please stay in the system. Don’t try to do too much to seek attention. I don’t want him to be on the highlights giving up a goal due to his mistake. He has played very well so far.
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so spining this post into the topic de’jour, (segway) Martinez’s play has made certain players with and not with this club expendable. (segway) who are guys DL may be targeting? talking heads seem to think DL may be after a non-rental type of player. i actually think DL may make a move w/ a team thats in the playoffs.
sometimes, in sports, a GM makes a deal that no one else sees and your left thinking “thats why he’s a GM”. i’m hoping DL might be working this kind of angle. snake eyes so far, but we’ll see come Feb 28th.
i’m really not liking the 1st rounder price tag for Fisher, Versteeg (+ 3rd rounder). the 2nd rounder was fair for C. Kelly. i’d like to start dealing some of our assests, player wise, than picks in the top 100.
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wavesinair Reply:
February 16th, 2011 at 11:44 am
@jayhay, Seems to me 90% of guesses regarding trades are wrong, which means GM’s make many deals that no one sees coming. The public is clueless. We have no idea what’s going on behind the curtain.
Martinez was barely on the radar to begin this season. He had a chance, but no one game him much of one, including me. I thought Drewiske was the clear favorite to turn it around and grab a spot.
Despite our up and down season, we are clearly starting to see how prospects are going to brutally compete for a very limited number of spots on this team. Martinez and Clifford…solid starters…who would have thunk? Who will it be next? And yet another incredible development, we see Lokti’s potential transforming into a reality.
It’s only going to get better for us fans. We get to see these guys battle it out for prized positions on the Kings, instead of filling up our 4th line with retreads and marginal AHLers.
It’s good to be King.
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Bkrs-Bud Reply:
February 16th, 2011 at 12:18 pm
@wavesinair, Isn’t it great to be able to make that statement and it be true.
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jayhay Reply:
February 16th, 2011 at 12:19 pm
@wavesinair, true, very true about the public not knowing. but i was in reference to somebody that no one even sees being in play (many examples but the only one that comes to mind is when, sorry, the Padres picked up Ludwick at the baseball deadline this last year. he wasnt in play, name wise, but it made sense in hindsight cause the the Cards had a guy playing well in their OF).
we all know the names that are out there, Hemsky, Penner, Kovalev, etc. i’m hoping for (just an example) Bergfors, or even (again, just an example) Ribeiro. havent heard these guys names barely, if at all. obviously, i seriously doubt Ribeiro is available, but guys like him…. stranger things have happened.
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Shotongoal Reply:
February 16th, 2011 at 11:45 am
@jayhay, I think the price tags on Fisher and Versteeg were way too high. Both are decent players but not for 1′s! I am still pulling for Hemsky, but not for any top prospects, such as Schenn, Lokti, Voynov, etc. I wouldn’t mind Simmonds being involved in a deal for Hemsky…remember, gotta give up good to get good. Right now the Kings need to be looking at needs for the rest of the season and Cup run. They can find a Simmonds type later, in fact they probably already have that type player in the organization (Clifford, once he matures a little). What do you think?
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jayhay Reply:
February 16th, 2011 at 12:40 pm
@Shotongoal, i cant see the Kings trading a guy on the roster that is as important as Simmonds now, in season. if something like that were to happen i see it happening in the off season. however, i was suggesting the Kings may make a deal w/ a team that already in the playoffs, and that team is gonna want a roster player, unless theyre just making a salary dump. its always a fun time.
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Dominick Reply:
February 16th, 2011 at 12:46 pm
@Shotongoal, Edmonton would never trade Hemsky for a rental player that they would have to negotiate a new contract for this summer. Any plans with Edmonton would involve long term commitments. Maybe to dump Hemskys’ cap hit for next season, but I don’t think that is even an issue with them.
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Shotongoal Reply:
February 16th, 2011 at 12:53 pm
@Dominick, I’m just saying that Simmonds isn’t a player I would mind the Kings trading for a player like Hemsky. He would come cheaper than Hemsky to the Oilers and he’s younger. Seems like the type of player that would interest the Oilers.
jayhay Reply:
February 16th, 2011 at 12:58 pm
@Dominick,
Dreger speculating 1st rounder and a “highly touted” top prospect for Hemsky.
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/dregerreport/
Dominick Reply:
February 16th, 2011 at 1:06 pm
@jayhay,
Yep, I read that. If true it’s way to expensive. I personally feel he would suck in our system because the guy can’t sustain a forcheck. Good at attacking, but likes to float in the nuetral zone. He would be too much of a project. It also doesn’t fill our biggest weakness on the left. You never know, but I would be dissappointed.
Dave's a Killer Reply:
February 16th, 2011 at 11:50 am
@jayhay, segue
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Jason4Kings Reply:
February 16th, 2011 at 3:44 pm
@Dave’s a Killer, That is hilarious, just a one word spelling correction.
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Get 3 goals tonight and I’ll help you out with your classes during the summer k thanks!
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A little off subject, but just looking at the Kings present status and their future (very near), name any other teams with as deep a roster of current players or prospects, 25 yrs old or under, that match-up with these players:
Forwards:
Kopitar, Lokti, Simmonds, Clifford, Schenn, Kitsyn, Moller, Toffoli
Defense:
Doughty, Johnson, Martinez, Voynov, Hickey, Forbort, Teubert
Goalies:
Quick, Bernier, Jones
This is a pretty impressive group of players either to build the team around, or to use as trade material (For the right player(s) ).
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Scot Reply:
February 16th, 2011 at 12:08 pm
@Shotongoal,
Sadly, I don’t know if Moller will ever find his niche here. I love the guy, but he might be the next Moulson/Boyle/Purcell who we need to send to another organization for him to find a home in the NHL. I think even Cammalleri can fall into that same mix, even though he had some success here. He blossomed after the Kings traded him. Frustrating.
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Jesse Reply:
February 16th, 2011 at 3:24 pm
@Shotongoal, You forgot of Brown, Stoll, and Kings GM Dean is looking at a Player who is from Vancouver, Canada. He is lighting it up. Maybe the next great one. His name is Kushie Shergill, and he is 4 years old.
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Martinez has quickly become one of my favorite players. Great skater, cool on the ice, good – and getting better – in the D zone. When Muzzin makes it back up – and he will – the Kings will have a solid core of 4 young defensemen (adding in Johnson and Doughty, of course) for many years to come.
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Man tonight is another crazy schedule! If Minnesota, Dallas, and Anaheim lose which is very possible considering Minny plays in Chicago, Dallas in Calgary, and Anaheim at home against Washington and the Kings pick up the W tonight we would be 2 points up on Minny and have played 57 games each, we would be 1 point behind both Anaheim and Dallas with a game in hand on both, 1 point behind Calgary with 3 games in hand, 2 points behind Phoenix with 1 game in hand, and 1 point behind San Jose with a game in hand as well. Man! Here is to hoping that we pick up two big wins tonight and tomorrow in New York, and hoping that Dallas, Anaheim, San Jose, and Phoenix all lose! Lol wishful thinking I know, but heck things are looking really good if we pick up wins tonight and tomorrow! Go Kings! Oh and I know this will never happen, but Eklund (Worst resource/rumor guy ever) says the Kings are interested in picking up Jonathon Cheechoo hahah if DL did this I hope he is fired on the spot! On the rumor front though, Kings scouts were at the Edmonton game last night against Dallas and I really hope they saw just how good Hemsky is when he is healthy. If the asking price isn’t too steep I say we go full force to try and acquire this guy imo. Thoughts?
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Hello King fans. A bit windy here in Salt lake. Real excided about tonight’s game. Jackets are more than just Nash. I’m sure they will be ready for a playoff type of game. As long as our D plays the samehard to make up points It’s going to be tough for them to score. Maybe our O will get going tonight. The boys are working hard and it,s going to pay off soon. Martinez is a soild player. Hope he stays arond for awhile. I love our D right now. It’s just tough watching the other teams getting points also. We can,t worry about that now. All we can do is go out and continue to do the things we have been doing. I’m a little bothered by this being a set up game. I know that this is hockey and every game from here on out means so much. There is no time for a off game. It’s just to hard to make up points. One bad week and the post season could be gone. So go at them hard. Knock’em on their candy arses and bring us two more points.
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@Martinez,
Tell your parents to get over the accounting degree. Work hard during the summer on things that will help your game. Respect your talent and yourself and make the most of the incredible opportunity you have in the NHL. Don’t spend like an idiot after you get the big contract and you can be set for life, which is long and will include plenty of post-NHL time for accounting degrees,or anything else you want to do. Not sure about the rest of my post…but i think i speak for everyone when i say we wish you a long and successful career with the Kings.
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Marbles Reply:
February 16th, 2011 at 12:08 pm
@Jason4Kings, You’re telling the kid not to finish college? Are you serious? Like he said, he has one more semester left, it wont take him that long to finish. Martinez wont be playing hockey for the rest of his life, so at least with his Accounting degree he has something to fall back on.
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jet Reply:
February 16th, 2011 at 12:17 pm
@Marbles, And with his second contract he is going to need to learn to cheat (extract the greatest benifit) on his taxes.
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Jason4Kings Reply:
February 16th, 2011 at 12:29 pm
@Marbles,
He already makes over three quarter of a million dollars and he’ll be a RFA soon and will do at least better than that. Obviously, he can get his degree without affecting his game. I was just making the point that….you’re doing great kid, enjoy it. There’s no reason to think he’s gonna need to “fall back” on anything. But hey, my post was in fun.
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Pumpernicholl Reply:
February 16th, 2011 at 12:26 pm
@Jason4Kings, Did I read you right? AMart should stop taking summer classes?
Why would it be impossible to both take online courses in the summer and train for hockey?
Keep in mind Jack Johnson takes classes toward his degree every summer AND trains for hockey at the same time, and it doesn’t seem to have hurt his hockey career one little bit.
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Jason4Kings Reply:
February 16th, 2011 at 12:31 pm
@Pumpernicholl,
Okay, okay….
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Michael J. Reply:
February 16th, 2011 at 12:28 pm
@Jason4Kings,
That is probably the worst advice you could ever give. Remember, these guys see maybe 60% of the amount of what their contracts state – IF they have a great tax strategy.
Keep working on that degree Alec. Congratulations on your accomplishment!
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Jason4Kings Reply:
February 16th, 2011 at 12:34 pm
@Michael J.,
I surrender! No idea that would touch such a nerve with you guys. I do realize they pay taxes, i do as well. Still alot of dough that kid is gonna see.
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Dan H. Reply:
February 16th, 2011 at 2:04 pm
@Jason4Kings,
BUT most of them don’t make enough to just retire and live fat on the hog. I know an Ex King defenseman who had a pretty good career that worked in our Phoenix office I’m guessing because he didn’t have a nest egg enough to retire on.
Jason4Kings Reply:
February 16th, 2011 at 2:23 pm
@Dan H.,
Obviously you can’t live fat on the hog like you say. But, are you gonna live fat on the hog off an undergrad degree in accounting? I get these responses, and i’m not exactly ready to drop the gloves over this, but i think everyone might be making a bigger deal out of a 4 year degree than it merits. Read his comment, “I guess it’s kinda boring, but it’s all right.” It would be different if he was really interested in a subject and passionate about it. But this is all a question of degrees, hand me a couple million bucks and i’m never gonna work again. He may not be buying hotels or anything, but i’m pretty sure he’ll make enough money playing hockey to feed and shelter himself for decades to come.
Martinez reminds me of a smaller Doughty, he’s got some sic moves, he can take over play periodically, and I love this guy’s confidence playing against big time forwards when he has to.
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Keeping Martinez on the left side of the 3rd pair, moving Greene to 4th-line RW for some games and putting VOYNOV on the right side of the 3rd-pair, should give us arguably the League’s most skilled defense.
Love to see it next season.
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Speaking of trades, and Martinez opening up possibilities…
I would, in a heartbeat, make this deal:
To L.A.- Dustin Penner
To Edmo- Matt Greene, Oscar Moller and a 2nd or 3rd round pick.
Penner is a LW. A scoring LW, that can also fill in at center, and takes draws. Further, his playing style is a big body with good hands, super solid on the corners. He is a Michael Handzus size guy, 8 or 9 years younger with way more offensive skill, and his style would mesh perfectly with Kopitar.
This year, Handzus stays and the Kings are super deep. Next year, we could still keep Handzus and Stoll, play Lokti and Kopi, and that would be an awesome 4 centers with an equally awesome top 6 by re-signing Williams. Brown and Simmonds could interchange at RW in top 6 or top 9, actually, because with that lineup you are 3 lines deep and have great utility and speed both in a 4th line of Clifford/Richardson/Lewis.
I keep both Lewis and Richardson, because Richardson is a LW and center, and Lewis is a RW and center. Injuries happen, guys go cold, and versatility is the best way to achieve depth.
Greene, most likely, will be a casualty this summer. With the new money to Doughty and Johnson, Scuderi signed and Mitchell signed, the defense is gonna eat too much salary cap if you keep Greene. Martinez is fine, and Drewiske or Muzzin could come in, all we would need to fill is a #5 or 6 D position with a stay at home guy. Greene gets moved while having the absolute least impact on the current defense. I love Matt Greene, and it might hurt the locker room atmosphere, but to get Dustin Penner, you gotta give up something. I would also be willing to let go of Greene and Zatkoff, of the Oilers would go for that, with Khabibulin getting older.
Imagine this line up;
Penner/Kopi/Simmonds
Smyth/Stoll/Williams
Clifford/Lokti/Brown
Richardson/Handzus/Lewis
(or Clifford/Handzus/Brown and Richardson/Lokti/Lewis)
Doughty/Mitchell
Scuderi/Johnson
Martinez/Muzzin, a Sean O’Donnell type, or Drewiske
You could flip Stoll with Lokti, you could flip Simmonds with Brown, but no matter what you did you would always have at least 9 guys able to play top 6 minutes.
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Shotongoal Reply:
February 16th, 2011 at 2:56 pm
@Player-X, yeah I’m sure the Kings would do this in a heart beat….the Oilers on the other hand? Don’t think so. Why would they want Greene back? And Moller doesn’t have the size to become a marquee player. In the right situation he could be a nice piece to have, but that’s not what Edmonton is going to look for if they are going to trade Penner, especially after what they went through to get him from the Sucks! Also, whether the Oilers trade Penner or Hemsky, or both, you can bet that a #1 pick is going to be attached to those trades. IMO
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Dominick Reply:
February 16th, 2011 at 4:16 pm
@Player-X, I really like this set up, but I would flip flop Lokti and Stoll, depending on the situation. Next season I think Stoll will be the main 3rd line center with Lokti and Schenn fighting for that 2nd line center.
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Let’s score some goals Marty!
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