My Draft Day: Matt Martin

Despite the 2008 NHL Entry Draft being hosted in his home province, Matt Martin wound up watching it on TV, sitting beside his parents, older brother and sister back in his childhood home in Windsor. And despite watching the marathon of draft coverage, Martin missed the exact moment when the Islanders selected him in the fifth round with the 148th overall pick.
"I didn't even get to see my pick on TV because they were interviewing a goalie named Jason Missiaen that Montreal had drafted [in the fourth round, 116th overall]," Martin recalled. "It wasn't actually on the TV at the time, but then I got the call. I answered the call and when the interview ended, they showed Steven Stamkos grabbing my jersey for me and picking it up. It was a pretty special moment for me and watching with my whole family."

Stamkos, Martin's teammate with the Sarnia Sting, was projected as a top pick, but Martin noted how 'nerve wrenching' the leadup to the draft was, especially knowing it wasn't a guarantee he'd be selected.

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But the physical winger had made a name for himself in the OHL with the Sting, after making the roster as a walk-on in 2006. Martin had earned his way onto a line with Stamkos, who Tampa eventually selected with the first-overall pick that year, and was coming off a 25-goal season with 155 PIMs.
While he and many of his Sarnia teammates had garnered the attention of NHL teams, Martin was surprised to find it was the Islanders who had selected him.
"What was funny was that one of the teams I was talking to picked one pick right before the Islanders and they didn't pick me," Martin said. "I was like, 'OK, well they didn't take me there, maybe they'll take me in the next round.' I really didn't know I was on the Islanders' radar because I hadn't talked with them leading up to the draft. But they ended up drafting [a few teammates]. They had drafted Mark Katic [the year prior], me, and Justin DiBenedetto was after me [in the sixth round]."
It was a surreal moment for Martin and his immediate family, especially knowing all the collective sacrifices that had been made and all the barriers that Martin had sedulously overcome to make it to that point in his budding career.
"Listen, I'm not in the NHL, I'm not drafted into the NHL if it wasn't for my family," Martin said. "The guidance - not just from my parents, but from my brother and sister as well who were older in me - who were both role models to me. I always saw how hard my brother worked when he played, and my sister played hockey as well. My mom and dad always made us work hard and kept us grounded and always kept us on the straight and narrow. I never played triple A growing up, I never got drafted to the OHL, it always seemed like I was coming up short and my dad always told me, 'Listen, if you want to get to the NHL, you can. You've just got to keep working and keep climbing that mountain. Your day will come.' He kept me focused and motivated."

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His day did come and what a special one it was.
Even though he missed hearing and seeing his name officially called, Martin's draft-day experience was meaningful, and a validation of all the hard work and heart put forth by him and his family.
"I know I wasn't at the draft, but it was almost more special because I was able to just enjoy it with my family," Martin said. "I was able to see the emotion pour out. Not having to go on stage and do all that stuff, you just give your family a hug and embrace them and thank them for all they've sacrificed to help me get to that point. For the last 11 years, there's been a lot of sacrifices that my family makes, not being around as much but I don't think they'd trade it for the world because they get to watch me on TV and enjoy hockey a lot more. The family has expanded with all my nieces and nephews, and they watch me play every day. It's definitely a really cool thing not only for the individual player, getting drafted, but just for the family and how much work they put in as well. It's something that everyone should enjoy and take pride in."
As for the jersey that his then, Sarnia teammate in Stamkos had grabbed for him? It's another humbling reminder of how far he's come and persevered as a now, 32-year-old and well-known veteran in the NHL as he approaches his 13th season.
"I remember getting the hat and the jersey in the mail," Martin said. "I wore that hat for a while. I took a lot of pride in being drafted. I'd wear it out and whatnot when I was 19. The jersey we still have at my parents' house in Windsor. It's still in my closet. One day, I'll have it framed up in my house in New York. I didn't do a full-blown photoshoot with the jersey or anything like that, but it's a keepsake. You look at it and you go back to these memories, that day and kind of where it all began."