University of Minnesota Athletics
"He's a Character": Senior Defenseman Joey Martin
12/10/2003 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
It ended up being an even bigger goal than one to give them the lead. For Paul did shoot the puck towards the goal, but it was tapped by fellow Martin, Joey, on its way into the net. In slow motion, the puck leisurely crossed the goal line to mark Joey Martin's first goal in a Golden Gopher uniform. The monkey was officially off his back.
"It was actually such a fluky play," Joey recalled. "Paul threw it at the net and I just happened to touch it and redirect it towards the net. If anyone was breathing in the opposite direction, it would have stopped the puck. I don't know how it even made it to the goal line. It went in and I couldn't believe that it actually went in. It was more shock than anything."
Joey's first goal put Minnesota up 2-1 in an eventual 7-4 win. More importantly, he could stop having a reoccurring dream that had been haunting him since a freshman year scoring opportunity was lost in a redirection from former Gopher Pat O'Leary.
"I was happy. I didn't think I was ever going to score one," Martin said. "I just kept dreaming about when O'Leary tipped my shot on net my freshman year. I swear I had it. I thought that was my only chance for my only goal. And then I finally scored one. It was ugly, but it was kind of my style."
Martin's scoring ways continued as he added two more goals and finished the 2002-03 season with a career-high seven points, combining his three goals with four assists.
Okay, Joey Martin is not a scoring machine. There is no way to manipulate the numbers to suggest that he is. While he was excited to score his first, there never really was a monkey on his back to collect a goal. But then again, that is not the role that he plays on this Golden Gopher team. Yes, he is big. He can play forward or defense. But most importantly, he goes to the rink every day with a positive attitude, looking to work hard and help the team any way he can.
"I just have the pressure that I put on myself to get better every day," Joey commented. "I haven't had a lot of expectations since I've been here. I haven't been playing every game. I just made the commitment to improve everyday as a player and contribute to the team as much as I can."
Over his time at Minnesota, Martin has faced a couple of hurdles. During his first two seasons, he laced up for only 29 total games that he split between forward and defense. He missed the last 10 games of the 2001-02 season with a severe concussion that he suffered against Wisconsin. Those missed games also included the postseason run to the NCAA Championship win at the Xcel Center, which he watched from the stands wearing a suit.
In Joey's junior season, his time on the ice began to increase. During the 2002-03 season, he appeared in 24 games and finished the year on defense after seeing some time earlier at forward. While it could be frustrating jumping positions back and forth, Martin admitted he liked the opportunity the experience games in both roles.
"I like them both," he said. "I like playing on the offense because I can run around and get really physical. Get after it that way. On defense, I have to play a little more mentally into the game. I can't make mistakes or it's going to cost us. At forward, I can skate hard and run into people. Be an energy guy. But I like defense because I think I'm better at it. I'm not a goal scorer, so my strength would be at defense."
Last season, Joey also got to participate during postseason play, finally getting to personally feel the excitement of being on the ice when winning an NCAA Title. "I was just happy getting out there and happy to be there at the end of the year, obviously," Martin remarked. "It's nice to be there in the Championship run again because I wasn't there the first year. It brought it a lot closer to home, being out on the ice this time. I felt a lot more a part of it, skating and everything."
While his time at Minnesota could frustrate any player, Joey lives up to the words most often used to describe him: good guy. His happy-go-lucky attitude is refreshing and infectious. It's difficult to not crack a smile when around him. Longtime roommate and fellow senior Jon Waibel called him a character. "I love it," Joey responded, laughing.
One of his "characteristics" is his inability to sit and relax. "He's always got to be doing something, anything: cleaning, fixing something, rearranging," Waibel said. "He's kind of the opposite of me. He likes to be busy. He doesn't like to waste his time." Joey agreed with Waibel's opposite comment, saying he can't just lay on the couch like his roommate. "I'll go and talk to him and then he gets annoyed with me."
"I wish I wasn't like that," he added. "I wish I could take a log off the fire and just hang out and do nothing and be happy with it." A favorite way Martin kills time is building and fixing things around the house. Well, the fixing thing is debatable. "If it's not broke, Joey will fix it," Waibel laughed.
With all the time off after his concussion, Joey used it to tap into his inner Bob Vila. Well, maybe it's more like Tim "The Toolman" Taylor. Boredom led him to not only start building projects but finish them as well. "I never actually finished my other projects because my mom and dad would always stop me because they are so crappy," Martin recalled, laughing. "They never let me actually finish anything. These are the things that I've finished myself."
Since then, with the help of former teammate Jordan Leopold and his father, John, Joey has completed a TV stand, shoe rack and nightstand. All of which are sturdy and stand without wobbling, he noted with pride.
While Joey's carpentry skills and ever-running engine bring him grief from his roommates and teammates, they all know that what Martin does is only out of concern for others. "He's very, very caring," Waibel noted.
"I just put people ahead and look out for everyone else. I can't say anything else about it. I don't want to pump my own tires," Martin responded.
The thoughtfulness and concern that Martin shows for his teammates is something that he carries over to the Golden Gopher hockey program. "I think that I just want to give back to the program what I've gotten from it," he said. "When we came in as freshmen, that group of juniors and seniors really took us under their wing and showed us the right direction. Obviously, we've had a rough start this season, but we want to progress as the year goes and leave on a high note. Help these underclassmen continue the tradition that this program has."
While his four years at Minnesota have been an up and down ride, Martin admits that he would not trade them for anything. Beyond the team's achievements on the ice, he has received a good education and made lifelong friends. "Overall, yes. I wish I had played more. But growing up here, you wouldn't trade it for anything, playing for this school," Joey said. "School and the friends that I've made here are things that you can't trade for anything. So in that aspect, I definitely wouldn't change anything. In hockey, you know you wish you could always play more, but the experiences that I've had here have made me a better person."
Written by Media Relations Student Assistant Courtney Walerius. She welcomes comments at gophers@umn.edu.
The date: Saturday, November 9, 2002. The game: Minnesota versus Minnesota State. The place: Midwest Wireless Civic Center in Mankato, Minn. There was an electricity in the arena. Something big was going to happen. The Gophers and Mavericks were tied in the second period when Minnesota turned to its top defenseman, Paul Martin, to put the puck in the net to give them the lead. And he did just that.well almost.
It ended up being an even bigger goal than one to give them the lead. For Paul did shoot the puck towards the goal, but it was tapped by fellow Martin, Joey, on its way into the net. In slow motion, the puck leisurely crossed the goal line to mark Joey Martin's first goal in a Golden Gopher uniform. The monkey was officially off his back.
"It was actually such a fluky play," Joey recalled. "Paul threw it at the net and I just happened to touch it and redirect it towards the net. If anyone was breathing in the opposite direction, it would have stopped the puck. I don't know how it even made it to the goal line. It went in and I couldn't believe that it actually went in. It was more shock than anything."
Joey's first goal put Minnesota up 2-1 in an eventual 7-4 win. More importantly, he could stop having a reoccurring dream that had been haunting him since a freshman year scoring opportunity was lost in a redirection from former Gopher Pat O'Leary.
"I was happy. I didn't think I was ever going to score one," Martin said. "I just kept dreaming about when O'Leary tipped my shot on net my freshman year. I swear I had it. I thought that was my only chance for my only goal. And then I finally scored one. It was ugly, but it was kind of my style."
Martin's scoring ways continued as he added two more goals and finished the 2002-03 season with a career-high seven points, combining his three goals with four assists.
Okay, Joey Martin is not a scoring machine. There is no way to manipulate the numbers to suggest that he is. While he was excited to score his first, there never really was a monkey on his back to collect a goal. But then again, that is not the role that he plays on this Golden Gopher team. Yes, he is big. He can play forward or defense. But most importantly, he goes to the rink every day with a positive attitude, looking to work hard and help the team any way he can.
"I just have the pressure that I put on myself to get better every day," Joey commented. "I haven't had a lot of expectations since I've been here. I haven't been playing every game. I just made the commitment to improve everyday as a player and contribute to the team as much as I can."
Over his time at Minnesota, Martin has faced a couple of hurdles. During his first two seasons, he laced up for only 29 total games that he split between forward and defense. He missed the last 10 games of the 2001-02 season with a severe concussion that he suffered against Wisconsin. Those missed games also included the postseason run to the NCAA Championship win at the Xcel Center, which he watched from the stands wearing a suit.
In Joey's junior season, his time on the ice began to increase. During the 2002-03 season, he appeared in 24 games and finished the year on defense after seeing some time earlier at forward. While it could be frustrating jumping positions back and forth, Martin admitted he liked the opportunity the experience games in both roles.
"I like them both," he said. "I like playing on the offense because I can run around and get really physical. Get after it that way. On defense, I have to play a little more mentally into the game. I can't make mistakes or it's going to cost us. At forward, I can skate hard and run into people. Be an energy guy. But I like defense because I think I'm better at it. I'm not a goal scorer, so my strength would be at defense."
Last season, Joey also got to participate during postseason play, finally getting to personally feel the excitement of being on the ice when winning an NCAA Title. "I was just happy getting out there and happy to be there at the end of the year, obviously," Martin remarked. "It's nice to be there in the Championship run again because I wasn't there the first year. It brought it a lot closer to home, being out on the ice this time. I felt a lot more a part of it, skating and everything."
While his time at Minnesota could frustrate any player, Joey lives up to the words most often used to describe him: good guy. His happy-go-lucky attitude is refreshing and infectious. It's difficult to not crack a smile when around him. Longtime roommate and fellow senior Jon Waibel called him a character. "I love it," Joey responded, laughing.
One of his "characteristics" is his inability to sit and relax. "He's always got to be doing something, anything: cleaning, fixing something, rearranging," Waibel said. "He's kind of the opposite of me. He likes to be busy. He doesn't like to waste his time." Joey agreed with Waibel's opposite comment, saying he can't just lay on the couch like his roommate. "I'll go and talk to him and then he gets annoyed with me."
"I wish I wasn't like that," he added. "I wish I could take a log off the fire and just hang out and do nothing and be happy with it." A favorite way Martin kills time is building and fixing things around the house. Well, the fixing thing is debatable. "If it's not broke, Joey will fix it," Waibel laughed.
With all the time off after his concussion, Joey used it to tap into his inner Bob Vila. Well, maybe it's more like Tim "The Toolman" Taylor. Boredom led him to not only start building projects but finish them as well. "I never actually finished my other projects because my mom and dad would always stop me because they are so crappy," Martin recalled, laughing. "They never let me actually finish anything. These are the things that I've finished myself."
Since then, with the help of former teammate Jordan Leopold and his father, John, Joey has completed a TV stand, shoe rack and nightstand. All of which are sturdy and stand without wobbling, he noted with pride.
While Joey's carpentry skills and ever-running engine bring him grief from his roommates and teammates, they all know that what Martin does is only out of concern for others. "He's very, very caring," Waibel noted.
"I just put people ahead and look out for everyone else. I can't say anything else about it. I don't want to pump my own tires," Martin responded.
The thoughtfulness and concern that Martin shows for his teammates is something that he carries over to the Golden Gopher hockey program. "I think that I just want to give back to the program what I've gotten from it," he said. "When we came in as freshmen, that group of juniors and seniors really took us under their wing and showed us the right direction. Obviously, we've had a rough start this season, but we want to progress as the year goes and leave on a high note. Help these underclassmen continue the tradition that this program has."
While his four years at Minnesota have been an up and down ride, Martin admits that he would not trade them for anything. Beyond the team's achievements on the ice, he has received a good education and made lifelong friends. "Overall, yes. I wish I had played more. But growing up here, you wouldn't trade it for anything, playing for this school," Joey said. "School and the friends that I've made here are things that you can't trade for anything. So in that aspect, I definitely wouldn't change anything. In hockey, you know you wish you could always play more, but the experiences that I've had here have made me a better person."
Written by Media Relations Student Assistant Courtney Walerius. She welcomes comments at gophers@umn.edu.
