Veteran forward Matt Martin has announced his retirement after a distinguished 16-season career in the National Hockey League, primarily spent with the New York Islanders. His departure significantly reduces the already small number of players in the league who take the ice without wearing a protective visor.
Prior to his retirement, Martin was one of only five active players grandfathered into the league without the requirement to wear a visor on his helmet. With his move into a front office position, serving as a special assistant to Islanders General Manager Mathieu Darche, the exclusive list of visor-less players now includes just four names: Ryan O’Reilly, Jamie Benn, Zach Bogosian, and Ryan Reaves.
The mandate for NHL players to wear visors was established in 2013 following an agreement between the league and the NHL Players` Association. This rule applied to all new players entering the league from that point forward, effectively “grandfathering” in existing players, a practice similar to how helmet requirements were phased in decades earlier.
Speaking about the topic in November 2023, Martin commented that it would be a major adjustment for him to start wearing a visor again, particularly considering the physical nature of his role on the ice, which often involved fighting. He concluded his impressive 1,075-game career (including regular season and playoffs) without a visor during his final game on April 17.
Reflecting on his choice, Martin told The Associated Press that he would have worn a visor if it had been universally mandated. He explained his decision, saying, “I took it off because of the role I play, and at the time, everybody that played that role didn’t wear it. I got used to that, so I never changed.”
Martin drew a comparison to Craig MacTavish, who was the last player in the NHL to compete without a helmet, retiring in 1997. Martin suggested that Jamie Benn and Ryan O`Reilly were the most likely candidates to be the very last players to retire from the league without ever having worn a visor.
Neville Woodall