Frank Martin (ice hockey)

Frank Martin
Born (1933-05-01)May 1, 1933
Cayuga, Ontario, Canada
Died February 18, 2007(2007-02-18) (aged 73)
St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position Defence
Shot Left
Played for Chicago Black Hawks
Boston Bruins
Playing career 1952–1965

Francis William Martin (May 1, 1933 — February 18, 2007) was a Canadian ice hockey player who played 282 games in the National Hockey League with the Boston Bruins and the Chicago Black Hawks between 1953 and 1957. The rest of his professional career, which lasted from 1952 to 1965, was mainly spent in the minor American Hockey League.

Early Career

Prior to his NHL debut, Martin played three seasons with the St. Catharines Teepees between 1949 and 1952, serving at times as both a forward and a defenceman. He was captain of the team for the 1951-52 season.[1]

Martin was also a talented baseball pitcher, and received a contract offer from the Brooklyn Dodgers. He turned down this contract, citing greater career prospects in professional hockey.[2]

Professional Career

Martin began his professional career in the AHL with the Hershey Bears for the 1952-53 season. After defenceman Bob Armstrong was injured, Martin was called to the Boston Bruins to play 14 games with the team that season.[3] He was then signed to the Bruins full-time for the 1953-54 season.[4]

Martin was the first player from the St. Catharines minor hockey system to play in the NHL.[1] At the time of joining the NHL, he was also the only ambidextrous player other than Gordie Howe.[5]

For the 1954-55 season, Martin was traded to the Chicago Black Hawks for Murray Costello.[4] Martin remained with the Black Hawks until the 1957-58 season, his final season in the NHL. In the following years, Martin returned to the AHL to play for the Buffalo Bisons, the Quebec Aces, and the Cleveland Barons before retiring after the 1964-65 season.[6]

Later Life

After retiring from professional hockey, Martin worked for the City of St. Catharines. He also served as head coach for the St. Catharines Falcons.[6]

Frank Martin passed away on February 18, 2007.[1]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1949–50 St. Catharines Teepees OHA 44 5 13 18 44 5 1 3 4 10
1950–51 St. Catharines Teepees OHA 43 5 15 20 53 9 2 2 4 2
1951–52 St. Catharines Teepees OHA 54 25 30 55 40 12 1 2 3 6
1952–53 Hershey Bears AHL 41 5 4 9 14 3 0 1 1 0
1952–53 Boston Bruins NHL 14 0 2 2 6 6 0 1 1 2
1953–54 Boston Bruins NHL 68 3 17 20 38 4 0 1 1 0
1954–55 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 66 4 8 12 35 — — — — —
1955–56 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 61 3 11 14 21 — — — — —
1956–57 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 70 1 8 9 12 — — — — —
1957–58 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 3 0 0 0 10 — — — — —
1957–58 Buffalo Bisons AHL 52 2 20 22 14 — — — — —
1958–59 Buffalo Bisons AHL 65 4 26 30 20 8 0 6 6 5
1959–60 Buffalo Bisons AHL 72 4 21 25 15 — — — — —
1960–61 Quebec Aces AHL 67 3 16 19 32 — — — — —
1961–62 Quebec Aces AHL 58 4 14 18 18 — — — — —
1962–63 Quebec Aces AHL 67 4 30 34 34 — — — — —
1963–64 Quebec Aces AHL 71 5 18 23 36 9 0 1 1 2
1964–65 Cleveland Barons AHL 67 7 23 30 22 — — — — —
AHL totals 560 38 172 210 205 20 0 8 8 7
NHL totals 282 11 46 57 122 10 0 2 2 2

References

  1. ^ a b c Hewitt, John (2008). Hewitt on Hockey ... Garden City Hockey Heroes. St. Catharines, Ontario: Mr. BOOKS. pp. 60, 207. ISBN 978-0-9811415-0-3.
  2. ^ Ralby, Herb (January 13, 1954). "Bruins' Defenseman Also Had Pro Baseball Offer from Dodgers". The Boston Globe. p. 12.
  3. ^ "Cracked Ice". The Boston Globe. February 16, 1953. p. 4.
  4. ^ a b Podnieks, Andrew (2003). Players: the ultimate A-Z guide of everyone who has ever played in the NHL. Doubleday Canada. p. 543. ISBN 0-385-25999-9.
  5. ^ "Martin Joins Howe as Only Other NHL Ambidextrous Shot". The Hockey News. 7 (6). November 7, 1953.
  6. ^ a b "Frank Martin". The Internet Hockey Database. Retrieved January 4, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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