Cardiff Devils captain Joey Martin thought he’d only be here for a couple of years, now he’s the club’s all time Elite League points scorer.
The 31-year-old broke Max Birbraer’s record on Sunday to reach 434 points in what was his 345th game for the club when Devils defeated Nottingham Panthers 5-3.
And while he admits he was told he was closing in on the record, the hectic start to the season meant it had slipped his mind.
“I’ve been here six years now and we’ve had some success so I consider myself fortunate to have been part of an organisation that puts a contending team every year with some great players,” Martin said.
“As far as the milestones go, I couldn’t have done it without the players around me in being part of these successful teams.
“At the end of last season, Fie, our social media officer, mentioned it to me last year, but it’s been a hectic schedule so far with the CHL and everything, I never gave it a second thought.
Joey Martin.
That’s it. That’s the tweet! 🐐 pic.twitter.com/Od34X8OZsy
— Cardiff Devils (@cardiffdevils) October 20, 2019
“In hindsight, that’s maybe a good thing because then you don’t think about it and you’re not squeezing the stick too hard, but it’s achievement I’m very proud.
“When I first came here, I thought I would be here for one or two years maybe. Obviously, I’m hooked and it’s a great place and I love everything about Cardiff.
“The people and this organisation, we’re treated so well by them all and it’s like a family. I’ve established relationships with people throughout this team and I love working with ‘Lordo’ (coach Andrew Lord) as the coach and Todd (Kelman) as the GM. From top to bottom, I love it here.”
Martin has become something of a legendary figure for the Devils fans since first joining the club in 2014 and has played a big part of their success in recent years.
He was given the captaincy at the start of the season following the retirement of Jake Morrissette and he’s taken it in his stride.
And as Devils looks ahead to completing their Challenge Cup group campaign in their next three games, starting with a trip to Guildford Flames on Saturday before hosting Paul Dixon’s men on Sunday, Martin wants to see the trophy back at the Viola Arena.
Martin first joined the Cardiff Devils in 2014 (PHOTO: James Assinder/Cardiff Devils)
He added: “Since I was given the captaincy, I’ve still prepared my game the same way although there is more responsibility with that.
“I was guided by Jake Morrissette until he retired then before that Tyson Marsh was the captain so I learned a lot from them.
“I’m still learning as I go, but it’s a role I take great pride in. As far as my everyday approach the game, I’ve remained the same and I think that’s why I was appointed. It’s been a pretty good so far.
“We’re doing pretty well in the league, with a six and two record and going well in the Challenge Cup to be in a position to advance.
“We want to be contenders for every championship. The Challenge Cup is something we’ve won before and we want to bring it back again.
“Every game must be treated as a must win and we want to get better in ever game and the next three games in the Challenge Cup are very important for us.”
Joey Martin is a guest on this week’s British Ice Hockey podcast. Check it out here or download via Apple podcasts, AudioBoom, Spotify or wherever you get your audio downloads
https://audioboom.com/posts/7405493-british-ice-hockey-podcast-24th-october-2019
