Richard Lionel Martin (/mɑːrˈtæn/; French: [maʁtɛ̃]; July 26, 1951 – March 13, 2011) was a Canadian professional ice hockey winger who played in the NHL with the Buffalo Sabres and Los Angeles Kings for 11 seasons between 1971 and 1982.
He was most famous for playing on the Sabres' French Connection line with Gilbert Perreault and Rene Robert.
Capitals goalie Mike Palmateer, already way out of his crease, knocked Martin back down by kicking his knee, causing severe cartilage damage that kept him out of all but 11 games for the remainder of the season.
[6] His number 7 was retired along with René Robert's #14 on November 15, 1995, flanking the #11 of Gilbert Perreault under a French Connection banner.
[9] In 2012, a statue of "The French Connection" was unveiled[10] in front of the Sabres' arena, today known as KeyBank Center.
[13] Martin owned a bar/restaurant called Slapshot on Niagara Falls Boulevard in Niagara Falls, N.Y. Martin died on March 13, 2011, in Clarence, New York, from a heart attack while driving, a complication of hypertensive arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.