Tuch voted as winner of 2023-24 Rick Martin Memorial Award

Buffalo Sabres fans have voted forward Alex Tuch as the recipient of the 2023-24 Rick Martin Memorial Award, the team announced Thursday.

“The Rico” is presented annually to the player who fans believe best embodies what it means to be a Buffalo Sabre based on on-ice excellence, resiliency, and dedication to the community. Tuch previously won the award last season.

“It means a lot to myself and my family,” Tuch told Brian Duff and Martin Biron on Sabres Live. “Being a player for the Sabres, this award is not what you do it for. This is just something that’s kind of a cherry on top. It feels really good, but we do it for the people of Buffalo.

“Giving back to the community, I think that everyone in our organization really tries hard to do as much as possible in the community and for myself, my foundation, and my family, this really means a lot from all the fans.”

Tuch has been an active member of the community since he joined the Sabres in November 2021 and continued his efforts this season through his AT9 Foundation, which exists to help children with a focus on supporting research to end pediatric cancer and helping those with special needs.

Tuch donated a suite to various charitable organizations for 10 home games and hosted a holiday toy drive through his foundation in November and December, which was the subject of an episode of Buffalo Sabres: Embedded.

In February, Tuch joined Buffalo Poet Laureate Emeritus Jillian Hanesworth for a visit to local restaurant Manna @ Northland in celebration of Black History Month.

“I love giving back to the community, I love doing the events,” Tuch said. “... Everything that we were able to do this year from the toy drive to the tickets to the games and stuff, it was really special. I enjoyed every second of it. I love doing it and so does my family, so it was a lot of fun this year.”

On the ice, Tuch enters Thursday’s home finale tied for the team lead with 58 points in 72 games while serving as a reliable two-way presence. His 77 takeaways rank fifth in the NHL and are the most by a Sabres player in a single season since the league began tracking the statistic in 2005-06.