Kids today might not recognize the name, but Rick Martin was not only an amazing hockey player during the 1970s, he also comprised one-third of the famed “French Connection” for the Buffalo Sabres.
Sadly though, the 59-year-old Martin died on Sunday in a one-car crash in the Buffalo suburb of Clarence. A report in the Buffalo News said Martin suffered a heart attack while driving.
The bottom of the Eastern Conference standings are finally starting to get interesting. But the New York Rangers are doing their best to make sure they don’t have to go through the same drama as last season when they were eliminated from playoff contention on the final day of the regular season.
The Rangers entered play today with 72 points, just one point ahead of the eighth-place Carolina Hurricanes. With four other teams vying for the final seat at the table, the Rangers are doing their best to distance themselves from the pack. Today’s matinee affair against the Philadelphia Flyers—the same team that eliminated the Rangers from playoff contention last season—provided the Broadway Blue-shirts were the perfect opportunity to create some separation in the standings.
Come crunch time in the NHL, skill and finesse are important, but there is no substitute for veteran leadership. That’s why the Philadelphia Flyers, Washington Capitals and Columbus Blue Jackets each claimed a player off waivers as we head into the the final month and a half of the regular season.
Philadelphia picked up gritty defenseman Nick Boynton from Chicago after the Hawks placed him on waivers. The 32-year-old Boynton had been a healthy scratch as of late because of the development of young defensemen Nick Leddy. The Flyers felt they need a depth defenseman after Oskar Bartulis was lost to injury.
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