Hurricanes’ Spencer Martin Exemplifies Always Striving for Unforgettable Moments – The Hockey Writers Hurricanes Goaltending Latest News, Analysis & More

Hockey is more than just a game. It goes beyond the 200-foot-long by 85-foot-wide dimensions in the NHL to the Olympic sizes in Europe. It goes beyond the junior arenas scattered all over North America. Sometimes they go back to the backyard ponds where playing until it is too dark to see or the floodlights in the backyard are on until the early mornings. The love for hockey is more than just a game where fans watch 10 skaters simultaneously chasing a vulcanized black rubber puck.

There is something poetic about hockey and how memories can be created by just playing with friends in the backyard, in the streets in front of the house, or maybe in the driveway somewhere in your neighborhood. Maybe, just perhaps, the higher you go in your hockey career, the memories get bigger and brighter. If that is the case, Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Spencer Martin just experienced the biggest memory of his five-year NHL career on a crisp Saturday night (Nov. 16) in Raleigh, North Carolina.

The Journey to Raleigh

Before that magical night in Raleigh on Nov. 16, the story begins back in 2013 when Martin was drafted 63rd overall in the third round of the NHL Draft by the Colorado Avalanche. The Oakville, ON native played for the Mississauga Steelheads of the Ontario Hockey League before being selected by the Avalanche. Fast forward to 2016-17, he played three games for the team that drafted him, finishing with a record of 0-2-1 with a .865 save percentage (SV%) and a 4.35 goals-against average (GAA). It would not be until the 2021-22 season before he got another shot to start games in the NHL.

His next appearance in the top league of hockey was with the Vancouver Canucks, where in that 2021-22 season, he started six games, going 3-0-3 to have an undefeated regulation record. Martin finished that season with a .950 SV% and a 1.74 GAA which entailed him to get more starts the following season with the Canucks. In 27 starts, he went on to have an 11-15-1 record with a .871 SV% and a 3.99 GAA in his final season in Western Canada. The 27 starts and 29 games played total were the most for Martin, who was still trying to find his footing in the NHL in some capacity, either as a backup or a tandem netminder.

Related: Hurricanes Down Senators 4-0 as Spencer Martin Notches First NHL Shutout

The 2023-24 season was going to be a year of lows and then highs for the former Steelhead netminder, as he began the season with the Columbus Blue Jackets to be paired with Elvis Merzlinkins. In his 10 starts for the Blue Coats, he went 3-8-1 with a .887 SV% and a 3.65 GAA. It seemed it would be another average season for the Ontario goaltender on a struggling team. However, that was not the case as the Blue Jackets put him on waivers to hopefully have him sent down to the American Hockey League (AHL) and play for the Cleveland Monsters, their affiliate.

Enter the Hurricanes.

The Hurricanes were having some struggles in the net themselves with Frederik Andersen being out most of the season due to blood clotting issues and Antti Raanta struggling to keep pucks out of the net. Their saving grace was Pyotr Kochetkov being the goalie they hoped he could be. However, they needed someone solid to help back up the Russian netminder. Carolina did not waste any time and claimed Martin off of waivers, throwing a number 41 into his stall. Martin was now officially a Carolina Hurricanes goaltender. After that, the tides began to turn in favor of “Spence.”

Martin Finished 2023-24 Strong

After being claimed off of waivers, Martin went on to have a 4-1-1 record in six games for the Hurricanes. He sported a .896 SV% and 2.63 GAA before Andersen came back to being active. Spence did, however, play the last game of the regular season before the playoffs against the Blue Jackets, which did not matter much at the time since the seedings were already set. Even before the regular season finished, Martin re-signed with the Hurricanes on March 16, 2024, to a one-year, $775,000 deal to stay with the organization. The Hurricanes gave Martin a lifeline to stay with the team who took a shot on him with a waiver claim and he took it.

Related: Hurricanes Claim Goaltender Spencer Martin Off Waivers

As the summer went on, it was clear that he was probably going to start the 2024-25 season with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL after both sides signed a deal to be reaffiliated for the next three seasons. Martin, being the professional that he is, went to the Wolves to be the team’s number-one netminder. However, that did not last long, as Andersen went down following the Hurricanes’ 4-1 win over the Seattle Kraken on Oct. 26.

Since then, Martin has been backing up Kochetkov who was on a seven-game winning streak before taking the loss in the team’s 4-1 defeat to the Utah Hockey Club on Nov. 13. The team was off for a couple of days before they took on the Ottawa Senators in the first game of a back-to-back on Nov. 16 and 17. Martin was set to face the Senators, and that is when the hockey Gods smiled down on the 29-year-old netminder.

This One Is for You, Spence

Martin got the nod and was put in the net for Carolina, who were looking to bounce back after going 1-2-0 in their mini three-game road trip that saw them lose Kochetkov and Seth Jarvis due to injuries. However, it seemed right away that the Hurricanes were going to play their game of hockey that, at the time, saw them have an 11-4-0 record. Martin was dialed in all the way, stopping every shot that was thrown at him. He was making 10-bell after 10-bell save as the game progressed. He, at points, went on some highway robbery stops on Tim Stutzle and Brady Tkachuk, which even drew a smile from him as he was feeling the momentum go his way.

Overall, the Hurricanes had a special teams’ night to remember, going 4-for-4 on the penalty kill and 2-for-5 on the power play. Martin Necas extended his point streak to 12 games. Sebastian Aho and Jackson Blake had power-play goals each, plus Jordan Martinook started the party with his sixth goal of the season. As the game went on, it was clear that the team in front of Martin wanted to help him secure the win and the shutout. In the end, Martin stopped all 24 shots that the Senators put on the net in a Hurricanes 4-0 win for their 12th team victory of the season.

In his 60th NHL game of his career, he claimed his first-ever NHL shutout. Martin recorded 13 shutouts in 217 AHL games, but his first in the NHL came 2,857 days after his debut start with the Avalanche back on Jan. 21, 2017.

A Night to Remember for Martin

After the game, head coach Rod Brind’Amour praised Martin for the stellar game in the net for the Hurricanes. “He’s played really well for us when we’ve called upon him… [Goaltending] is the most important position and that was a great game by him. It enabled us to get the victory, for sure. He made some big saves. There [were] a lot of really close calls and he saved us.”

After the game, Martin got the “C5” hat that Brind’Amour gives to the guy most deserving, and he more than deserved that honor along with the praise from the head coach, who is the legend of legends in Hurricanes history.

Aho even gave some flowers to the netminder who came up clutch for them all game, “I thought they had a couple too many looks there at the end, but you want to make sure that he’s getting a shutout after that kind of performance. He kind of had to do it himself there, but it was an awesome, awesome game for him. Just huge to have the next man stepping in… It’s huge. It tells you a lot about the guy.”

Even the man himself was feeling high after a magical night that saw him get mobbed by teammates after the game during the “Storm Surge” that’s accustomed after every Canes win. “The way we started the game. Coming home from that road trip, we weren’t happy with some of those losses. It was evident in the first period and we rode it from there… It’s incredibly special. I prayed and prayed and prayed that I’d get an opportunity, and for it to go well is unbelievable.”

It was definitely an unbelievable night and one that will be remembered forever by Martin, the franchise, and the Caniacs who throw their support behind whomever is in a Canes sweater. People will always remember where they were on Nov. 16 when they witnessed Spencer Martin’s first career NHL shutout and thankfully for everyone, it was a home game at Lenovo Center in the loudest house in the NHL.

Take a bow, Spencer Martin.

Bring on the Blues

While it is good to remember the magical moments, the NHL season does not end. The Hurricanes have to finish off the weekend with the second of a back-to-back game set as they welcome in the St. Louis Blues. The puck drop is set for 5 p.m. Eastern that will be on FanDuel Sports Network and on the radio at 99.9 The Fan. Will we see the Hurricanes sweep the weekend set?