Martinek Injured Again - Along with Isles' Pride

"No, I never broke my nose playing ice hockey; but eleven other guys did." Gordie Howe.

Martinek is out for 4-6 weeks again. Is it me or does this guy seem a little fragile? Don't misunderstand me here - he plays hard, has grit, blocks shots, and battles in the corners - but that is only when he plays. He seems to be snake bitten with the injuries. Looking back over his tenure with the Isles - he has never played more than 74 games in a season - and he did that once - and he averages just 54 games per season (about 65% of the games). It's not just the loss of games played - but the injuries obviously add to the wear & tear on his 32 yr old body. On top of that - he has 10 career goals and 74 total points in 6 seasons! He averages 12 points a season! Are you kidding me? And in the past he was given some time on the PP and was expected to "move the puck" - it appears someone was snorting ice shavings when they came up with that expectation.

With the 2008-2009 Isles being a team that looks like it will struggle offensively, and they already have Witt, Sutton, Meyer, and young unproven guys like Gervais & Hillen on the backline, I think management needs to re-evaluate the roster spot taken up by Martinek. Of course having a solid puck-moving, 2-way D-man is a rarity in the NHL. Too bad they don't have a guy like Zdeno Chara, Bryan McCabe, Wayne Redden, Eric Brewer, or a Matthiew Schneider --- oh, yeah that's right, they gave those guys away. Well then... too bad they didn't have a shot at a 2-way D-man in the draft. Oops - that's right, they did have one in their sights... and passed him over too. I could go on - but I've already made myself a little sick.

I am thankful I wasn't able to attend yesterday's disaster against the Sabres. I actually sold my seats ($50 face value) for $10 a piece. At first I thought I was "giving them away" - but after the game I felt like I should call up the guy that bought them & give him his money back and apologize! Messy play, stupid penalties, mystery surrounding DP & his availability (I think the Coli is too close to the Jets facility & Gordon is doing his best Eric Mangini impression), woeful special teams, and just an all-around poor effort. Well, we all have a bad day from time-to-time. Luckily most of us don't have to have our bad day in front of 10,000+ people!

This weekend in Florida will be another test for this team in transition. First up, Tampa (with Stamkos, Lecavalier, St. Louis and company) and then on to the Panthers. I think I'd be happy if they got 1 out of the 2 games.

Next up: ...where have you gone Blake Comeau...?
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