Alec Martinez

Alec Martinez
Martinez in 2013.
Born	July 26, 1987 Rochester Hills, MI, USA
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight	215 lb (98 kg; 15 st 5 lb)
Position	Defense
Shoots	Left
NHL team	Los Angeles Kings
NHL Draft	95th overall, 2007 Los Angeles Kings
Playing career	2008–present

Alec Martinez (born July 26, 1987) is an American professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL).

He is a two-time Stanley Cup champion, having won with the Kings in 2012 and 2014, the latter of which he scored the series clinching goal in overtime.

Early life

Martinez was born in Rochester Hills, Michigan.^[1] His paternal grandfather is Spanish and his paternal grandmother is Mexican. He spent his early years playing hockey in Northern California for the Santa Clara Blackhawks and San Jose Jr. Sharks. He earned four varsity letters at Stoney Creek High School in Rochester Hills.

He played college hockey while attending Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

Playing career

He was drafted 95th overall by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft while playing for Miami University. He made his professional debut for the Kings' American Hockey League (AHL) minor league affiliate, the Manchester Monarchs, in 2008. A year later, he was announced to the opening roster for the 2009–10 season with Kings, in which he played four games and had no goals and no assists on six shots on goal.

He was sent back down to the Manchester Monarchs for the first 20 games of the 2010–11 season. On November 23, 2010, he was recalled by the Los Angeles Kings to replace the struggling Jake Muzzin. On November 24, Martinez scored his first NHL goal, on the power play, in 4–1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre against goaltender Carey Price.^[2] Martinez had his first multi-point game December 4, 2010, including a goal against Chris Osgood of the Detroit Red Wings in a 3–2 victory for the Kings.^[3] After joining the squad for the 2010–11 season, Martinez earned trust from former Kings Head Coach Terry Murray for solid offensive and defensive play,^[4] and that continued after Darryl Sutter replaced Murray in December 2011.

On July 8, 2011, Martinez signed a two-year, $1,475,000 contract with the Kings. On June 11, 2012, the team won the Stanley Cup.

With the 2012–13 NHL season being threatened by a lockout that ultimately wiped out half the season, on December 31, 2012, Martinez signed with the Allen Americans of the Central Hockey League.^[5] He played with them until the end of the lockout.

Martinez was injured for 10 of the Kings' first 15 games of the 2013–14 season, but wound up returning as a regular on the Kings' defense, even contributing to the team's offense. He scored two series winners en route to the Kings' second Stanley Cup title – on June 1, 2014, Martinez scored 5:47 into overtime of Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals against the Chicago Blackhawks; 12 days later, in Game 5 of the 2014 Stanley Cup Finals against the New York Rangers, a shot by Tyler Toffoli, which rebounded off goaltender Henrik Lundqvist in double overtime, led to another Martinez goal. The goal was scored with 5:17 left in double overtime as he became only the 16th man in Stanley Cup playoff history to score the Cup-winning goal in overtime.^[6]

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2004–05	Cedar Rapids RoughRiders	USHL		58	10	11	21	30		11	1	2	3	8
2005–06	Miami RedHawks	CCHA		39	3	8	11	31		—	—	—	—	—
2006–07	Miami RedHawks	CCHA		42	9	15	24	40		—	—	—	—	—
2007–08	Miami RedHawks	CCHA		42	9	23	32	42		—	—	—	—	—
2008–09	Manchester Monarchs	AHL		72	8	15	23	42		—	—	—	—	—
2009–10	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		4	0	0	0	2		—	—	—	—	—
2009–10	Manchester Monarchs	AHL		55	7	23	30	26		16	0	3	3	10
2010–11	Manchester Monarchs	AHL		20	5	11	16	14		—	—	—	—	—
2010–11	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		60	5	11	16	18		6	0	1	1	2
2011–12	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		51	6	6	12	8		20	1	2	3	8
2012–13	TPS	SM-l		11	1	1	2	8		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	Allen Americans	CHL		3	1	1	2	0		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		27	1	4	5	10		7	0	2	2	8
2013–14	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		61	11	11	22	14		26	5	5	10	12
2014–15	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		56	6	16	22	10		—	—	—	—	—
2015–16	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		78	10	21	31	40		1	0	0	0	0
NHL totals				337	39	69	108	102		60	6	10	16	30

Awards and honors

Award	Year
College
All-CCHA First Team	2007–08
AHCA West Second-Team All-American	2007–08
CCHA All-Tournament Team	2008[7]
NHL
Stanley Cup	2012, 2014

References

1. "Alec Martinez player biography". National Hockey League. 2014-06-07. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
2. "Canadiens 4, Kings 1". CBS Sports. 2010-11-24. Retrieved 2010-11-24.
3. "Kings 3, Red Wings 2 OT". Los Angeles Kings. 2010-12-04. Retrieved 2010-12-04.
4. Hammond, Rich (2011-01-11). "Rookie defenseman Martinez earns trust". LAKings insider. Retrieved 2011-01-11.
5. "Americans Sign Stanley Cup Winning Defenseman". Allen Americans. 2012-12-31. Retrieved 2012-12-31.
6. Kings' Martinez again plays hero, scores Cup-winner
7. "2012-13 CCHA Media Guide". ISSUU.com. Retrieved 2014-04-23.

External links

• Alec Martinez's career statistics at EliteProspects.com
• Alec Martinez's player profile at NHL.com
• Alec Martinez's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database