Neal Martin | |||
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Sudbury, ON, CAN |
September 8, 1975 ||
Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||
Weight | 193 lb (88 kg; 13 st 11 lb) | ||
Position | Defence | ||
Shoots | Left | ||
Oddset Ligaen team | AaB Ishockey | ||
Playing career | 1996–present |
Neal Martin (born September 8, 1975 in Sudbury, Ontario), is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman.
He played for the Coventry Blaze in the British Elite Ice Hockey League. In the 2004–05 season he led the team to a British Grand Slam as the League MVP. In 2006–07, he helped the Blaze retain the Elite League and Challenge Cup titles. In 2007–08, Blaze have won the Elite League Championship for a 3rd time, and the British Knockout Cup. He has been voted to the Elite League All Star 1st Team in all four seasons that he has played for Coventry.
He was in his second spell playing Ice Hockey in the UK, having previously iced for the London Knights in the old British Ice Hockey Superleague.
Neal has a Canadian wife, and his son was born in Coventry in 2007. During his time with the Blaze, Martin has won defenceman of the season at the annual Blaze awards three times in a row.
In 2008, Neal was nominated for a "Man of Ice" Award in the best defenceman category.
For the past three seasons, Martin has played alongside former Sudbury Wolves team-mate Barrie Moore at the Coventry Blaze, and had also played with 04–05 & 05–06 team-mate Joel Porier at the same junior club.
On March 26, 2008, Coventry Blaze announced that Neal Martin would be leaving the club at the end of the current season to join AaB Ishockey in Denmark.