Tom Martin (ice hockey, born 1964)

Tom Martin (born May 11, 1964 in Victoria, British Columbia) is a Canadian former ice hockey player. He was a fourth round draft pick of the Winnipeg Jets, 74th overall, at the 1982 NHL Entry Draft. He played 92 National Hockey League (NHL) games for the Jets, Hartford Whalers and Minnesota North Stars in a career predominantly spent in the American Hockey League (AHL). He won the Calder Cup in 1985 and was a First Team AHL All-Star in 1988.

Tom Martin
Born (1964-05-11) May 11, 1964
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 193 lb (88 kg; 13 st 11 lb)
Position Left Wing
Shot Left
Played for Winnipeg Jets
Hartford Whalers
Minnesota North Stars
NHL Draft 74th overall, 1982
Winnipeg Jets
Playing career 1984–1991

Martin is most famous for having his junior playing rights traded in 1983 by the Seattle Breakers to the Victoria Cougars in exchange for the Cougars' team bus.

Playing career

Following two seasons of junior A hockey in Kelowna, Martin was added to the Seattle Breakers' reserve list. He chose instead to gain an education while playing at the University of Denver in 1982–83.[1] Martin did make it known that he would play junior for his hometown team, the Victoria Cougars, however.[2] The Breakers wished to trade Martin, and were in need of a new team bus. Coincidentally, the Cougars had an extra bus that they purchased from the defunct Spokane Flyers franchise, but as they were unwilling to pay the taxes and fees required to bring the bus into Canada, it was sitting in storage in the United States.[1] As a result, on January 19, 1983, the Cougars traded the bus to the Breakers for Martin and $35,000.[2] Martin earned the nickname "Bussey" for the remainder of his career.[1]

"I know it had bunks on it and it was definitely a team oriented bus. In the Western Hockey League they travel a lot and they need a good bus. Maybe it had better wheels than I did."

Martin jokingly describes the bus he was traded for in 1983.[1]

He played one season with the Cougars in 1983–84, scoring 75 points in 60 games before turning professional.[3] The draft pick of the Winnipeg Jets finished the 1983–84 season in the American Hockey League with the Sherbrooke Jets where he played five games. Martin remained in the AHL for much of the following three seasons, appearing in a total of 27 regular season and playoff games in the NHL over that time.[3] He won the Calder Cup championship in 1984–85 while a member of the Sherbrooke Canadiens.[4]

He signed as a free agent with the Hartford Whalers in 1987, but spent the majority of the season in the AHL with the Binghamton Whalers where he scored 28 goals and 89 points in 71 games.[3] He was named a First Team AHL All-Star that season.[1] He was acquired on waivers by the Minnesota North Stars at the start of the 1988–89 NHL season, but was sent back to Hartford, also on waivers, after four games. He played 50 more NHL games for Hartford over the next two seasons. He signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Kings in 1990. Martin played 22 games with their AHL affiliate, the New Haven Nighthawks in 1990–91, after which he retired from professional hockey.[3]

Career statistics
    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1980–81 Kelowna Buckaroos BCJHL 43 17 34 51 143 — — — — —
1981–82 Kelowna Buckaroos BCJHL 43 32 34 66 194 — — — — —
1982–83 University of Denver WCHA 37 8 18 26 128 — — — — —
1983–84 Victoria Cougars WHL 60 30 45 75 261 — — — — —
1983–84 Sherbrooke Jets AHL 5 0 0 0 16 — — — — —
1984–85 Winnipeg Jets NHL 8 1 0 1 42 3 0 0 0 2
1984–85 Sherbrooke Canadiens AHL 58 4 15 19 212 12 1 1 2 72
1985–86 Winnipeg Jets NHL 5 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
1985–86 Sherbrooke Canadiens AHL 69 11 18 29 227 — — — — —
1986–87 Winnipeg Jets NHL 11 1 0 1 49 — — — — —
1986–87 Adirondack Red Wings AHL 18 5 6 11 57 — — — — —
1987–88 Hartford Whalers NHL 5 1 2 3 14 — — — — —
1987–88 Binghamton Whalers AHL 71 28 61 89 344 3 0 0 0 18
1988–89 Minnesota North Stars NHL 4 1 1 2 4 — — — — —
1988–89 Hartford Whalers NHL 38 7 6 13 113 1 0 0 0 4
1989–90 Hartford Whalers NHL 21 1 2 3 27 — — — — —
1989–90 Binghamton Whalers AHL 24 4 10 14 113 — — — — —
1990–91 New Haven Nighthawks AHL 22 11 7 18 88 — — — — —
NHL totals 92 12 11 23 249 4 0 0 0 6
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References
  1. Weiner, Evan (2008-10-31). "Tom "Bussey" Martin recalls strange trade". National Hockey League. Retrieved 2010-01-14.
  2. "Bewildering barters nothing new for baseball". Seattle Post Intelligencer. 2006-05-25. Retrieved 2010-01-14.
  3. "Tom Martin player profile". Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2010-01-14.
  4. "Calder Cup champions: the players". American Hockey League. Archived from the original on 2010-02-27. Retrieved 2010-01-14.
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