Former Buffalo Sabres Great Rick Martin Dies in Single-Car Accident

By: Frank Iacono

Rick Martin, a former National Hockey League (NHL) star with the Buffalo Sabres, died this past weekend in a single-car accident. The accident occurred on Main Street in a Buffalo suburb of Clarence, New York. Mr. Martin was 59.

During the 1970s, Mr. Martin was one-third of the most fabled line in Sabres team history known as the “French Connection.” The “French Connection” line featured fellow French-Canadians and NHL stars Gilbert Perreault and Rene Robert. Mr. Martin’s 382 career goals with the Sabres ranks second on the all-time team list.

Following the accident, Mr. Martin was extracted from his vehicle by a bystander who saw the incident. That bystander along with another unnamed person and a state trooper performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) until rescue workers arrived on the scene. Mr. Martin was then transported to Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital in Buffalo, NY where he was pronounced dead at approximately 12:48 p.m. on Sunday, March 14, 2011, by New York State Police Captain Steven A. Nigrelli. Captain Nigrelli mentioned that an autopsy will be performed to determine the exact cause of the accident, but early speculation is that he may have suffered a heart attack just prior to the crash.

Mr. Martin didn’t strike any other vehicles during the accident, and the only other occupant in his sedan was his dog, a German shepherd, which survived. Nigrelli mentioned that witnesses spotted Mr. Martin’s car crossing the center line on the road, rolling along the shoulder and striking a utility pole. Witnesses also noted that they noticed that Mr. Martin’s head was slumped and his eyes were closed right before the crash.

Lindy Ruff, a former teammate and current coach of the Buffalo Sabres, said, “It’s tough when you lose anybody, and we lost a real good person today. It’s a tough one to take.”

The high-flying “French Connection” line was most recently reunited last month prior to a Sabres home game versus the Atlanta Thrashers. The trio took to the ice during a welcome ceremony introducing Terry Pegula, the franchises new owner. Unfortunately, that reunion turned out to be Martin’s final appearance.

Pegula said, “We had a lot of plans in the future for these guys. Now we’ve got an empty chair, but it will be there.”

Prior to yesterday’s home game versus the Ottawa Senators, the Sabres honored Mr. Martin with a video tribute on the center ice scoreboard.

On Monday, March 15, 2011, an autopsy was performed on Mr. Martin and they determined that the former Sabres star forward died of hypertensive heart disease.

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