'Really special' - Devils celebrate GOAT Martin
"It's difficult to describe the impact Joey Martin has had on this organisation on and off the ice."For managing director Todd Kelman, Cardiff Devils' number 88 is, "our best player over the last decade". For most fans, forward Martin is simply the GOAT - the greatest of all time.On Saturday (17:00 BST) at the Vindico Arena, the 36-year-old from Ontario joins a select group of players the club has hounored in recent seasons; Great Britain internationals Mark Richardson, Matthew Myers, Josh Batch and Ben Davies.Martin is the first non-British player to be awarded a testimonial game in the past eleven years of the current ownership."I'm extremely grateful, it's really special, it's made me reflect on all the years I've been here."I always feel very fortunate that I landed at this club and have so many great memories that I can look back on," said Martin.
Martin first joined the Devils in 2014 and after a brief spell away during Covid returned in 2022.In his first five-season spell with Cardiff, he won the league's Forward of the Year three times, Player of the Year twice and made the league's All-Star team every year.In the 2024-25 season - his ninth at the Welsh club - he became the highest scoring import player in Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) history and was Devils' Players' Player of the Year."As the league has improved, he has still always been one of the top players," added Kelman on announcing Martin would be back for a 10th campaign in a Devils jersey. "We are very lucky to have had him all these years."
'My love for the game started in the driveway'
Martin was born and bred in the small city of Thorold, ten miles west of Niagara Falls on the United States border."Like most Canadian kids my love for the game started in the driveway and the street playing with my brothers and friends and then in the winters on the frozen lakes and ponds," recalls Martin.He started his junior hockey with local club Thorold Blackhawks, then as a teenager he joined Aurora Tigers in the Ontario Provincial Junior Hockey League, winning the 2007 Canadian National Junior Championship, the Royal Bank Cup.College hockey followed whilst studying physical education at the University of Nebraska in Omaha, sometimes in front of 17,000 fans.And after captaining Omaha Mavericks in his final student season, in 2011 Martin went professional with Ohio-based Toledo Walleye."Going from school to the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) was a bit of an adjustment. Sometimes you play four games in five nights, a lot of road trips on the bus, it's a bit of a grind," added Martin.The ECHL sits third in the North America hierarchy, below the American Hockey League (AHL) and the dream destination for all hockey players, the globally-dominant NHL."I had a few different call ups [to the AHL] with Houston Aeros, Texas Stars and Bridgeport Sound Tigers."After three years of that, getting called up and sent down, I was over that whole lifestyle and that's why I ended up pursuing options over here [the UK]."
'I thought, oh no!'
In late July 2014 Martin received a call from an old Toledo teammate, Doug Clarkson, who had signed for a British club under new ownership – the Cardiff Devils. They were looking for a centre-mid forward and wanted to know if Martin was interested.At the time Martin knew very little about professional hockey in the UK."I thought that people generally came here and did their master's degree at the end of their career," he remembers."I knew it was more of a North American style, it was physical, they had enforcers, so I thought it'd be similar to the East Coast Hockey League but other than that I wasn't familiar with Cardiff, the club or the history."I kind of made a quick decision and I'm very happy with that decision now!"Martin also had no idea that his new hockey home, Devils' ice rink, was just a timber prefab, clad with bright blue tarpaulin."I remember coming on the bus and seeing this big, beautiful glass building and I said, 'Wow! That's a beautiful arena.' And they said, 'No, that's the international swimming pool, the arena's round the corner'."And then we kept driving and I saw the Big Blue Tent and I thought, 'Oh, no!'"But we had a team that just embraced it, we actually loved playing in the tent. It was a hostile environment for other teams, it was definitely an advantage for us."
That first season for Martin saw the Devils unexpectedly reach the Challenge Cup Final, where they faced the sizeable challenge of taking on Sheffield Steelers in their own Sheffield Arena.There was, though, a huge migration of Welsh fans from Cardiff, one that lives long in the memories of those that were there."I remember stepping on the ice for the warm-up and seeing half that arena filled with our fans. I remember thinking this is pretty special," said Martin."That's when you really saw how much it meant to the club, to the fans."Goals from player-coach Andrew Lord and centreman Chris Culligan gave Cardiff a 2-1 victory to lift their first trophy in eight years."Winning that game was awesome, just to see the look on everybody's faces and the joy especially with the season before being a tough one when they hadn't made the play-offs," Martin added."The expectations weren't for us to even be there, let alone win it. It was a really special moment."Over the next four seasons Cardiff Devils experienced a golden period winning the league twice, the 2017 Challenge Cup and two Play-Off finals.When hockey in the UK was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, Martin went to Norway, playing in front of reduced crowds for Stavanger Oilers though eventually their 2021 season was curtailed before the Elite Hockey Ligaen play-offs.He then joined Graz99ers in Austria who were more than aware of Martin's qualities after he had been a crucial part of Cardiff's two group victories against them in the 2019 Champions Hockey League.But halfway through the season Martin decided it was time to return to Cardiff."I really enjoyed my time in Graz, but I just felt that I wanted to come back to a club where the expectations were to win, and I wanted to be back in that kind of culture."And it just felt like the time to come back home."
'It's been an awesome ride - I never want it to end'
Somewhat unexpectedly for Martin, the first two seasons after his return were trophyless for Cardiff.However, in January 2025 the Devils won their first European title - the IIHF Continental Cup. "That was the third year in a row of us being in that competition and I felt in the years prior we had a good chance to win it but let it slip," Martin said."I think we were just laser focused this year and it was a huge deal not just for us players, all the fans and all the people in the organisation."Following that win the Devils' chase for the league title fell away to finish in fourth place having also lost the Challenge Cup final to Belfast Giants in March.Martin feels the extra games played competing in the Continental Cup, and the squad being blighted by injuries thoughout the season, caught up with them."We were playing three lines it felt like for months, and that's hard to do when you're playing three games a week, back-to-back games on the weekend and injuries keep piling up," he said."We held on for as long as we could but it just came to the point where the wheels fell off. It was tough to be a part of."We're not the only team that goes through this, but we were hit pretty hard by injuries this year."It was a campaign so nearly polished off with the shine of a second peice of silverware.However, in the final game of the season Cardiff lost the Play-Off final in double over-time to Nottingham - a tumultuous final that will not be forgotten soon by Panthers fans and neutrals who witnessed the game.But for the Martin and his Devils team-mates losing that epic final, where they came back from 3-0 down to force over-time, will simply rankle forever."We were stunned for a few days to be honest, it's still hard to reflect on because we were so close to winning a trophy that I think this group deserved," reflects Martin."I think losing that Play-Off final ignited something in me that I just wanted to sign back to get another chance to win another trophy."I'm very proud of what we've done here over the years, a lot of success, a lot of good times, a lot of hard work, but I feel that we're not done yet."We need to have some more trophies; we need to create some more memories and hopefully we can do that."If you look at where the game has taken me, I feel fortunate, it's been an awesome ride. I never want it to end."
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Daily Mail
24 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE How glum Louis Tomlinson's 'hard stares' at Sam Thompson displayed the depths of their 'playground mentality' just moments before TV star revealed he was out of Soccer Aid match
Sam Thompson declared he would not be able to compete in Soccer Aid on Sunday on doctor's orders, moments after he put on an animated display during training on Friday despite a horrendous calf injury. But anyone could see things were pretty awkward between him and One Direction singer Louis Tomlinson, with Louis giving Sam what appeared to be a 'hard stare' and looking glum and uncomfortable. Sam, 32, previously insisted there are 'no hard feelings' after his ex-girlfriend Zara McDermott moved on pretty quickly with singer Louis, 33, following their split in December, and the new couple have been inseparable since going public in March. But body language expert Judi James believes there is a 'playground mentality' to Louis and Sam, despite their public front - with fans noting there wasn't a single handshake or friendly moment that took place between them. While it's highly commendable that the pair honoured their commitment to children's charity, Unicef and turned up for two days of training, Judi told MailOnline that while Sam appeared well integrated with the other players, smiling and happy, Louis seemed more 'glum' and separate. She said: 'There seems to be more of a playground dynamic growing from the body language here. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. 'Sam seems to be very much part of the core group, sitting central and being the center of their attention while Louis walks by looking glum at times and rather peripheral to the social interaction. 'As the guys club around Sam, who looks deep in the discussion, Louis seems to glance over with a rather hard-looking stare. 'His eye direction might not be exclusively aimed at Sam, but he does seem to be checking the group out with an unsmiling facial expression.' Judi also believes there could be an 'atmosphere' developing between the two men, particularly in the photo where they are seen together on the pitch. 'When the two men meet on the pitch there is an unsmiling, reflective-looking gaze from Louis,' she said. 'This shouldn't be over-dramatized into any form of specifically directed 'hard stare' as his eye direction does not seem to be aimed directly at Sam, but there could be seen to be a hint of some kind of 'atmosphere' brewing here. 'With his hands on his hips, Louis does look really down and perhaps rather uncomfortable.' She also noted the difference in demeanour between Sam and Louis when they were posing for the group photo. 'When they sit on the grass for what looks like the group photo it's Sam in the centre again, performing a wide, satisfied and playful-looking grin. 'Louis, however, does a lip-clamped mouth shape that looks more like a stoic, dampened smile as though he's going through the motions but not keen or able to mirror the open-mouthed 'fun' smiles of the others here. 'It's the same story when he poses in the back row behind Sam. Sam is again central and gaining all the smiles of what look like support and attention, even though his own head is dipped modestly. 'Louis is more poker-faced and unsmiling here, staring forward while the rest of the group or team seem to be looking to the side in Sam's direction.' During an appearance on Friday's episode of This morning, the 32-year-old first confirmed the devastating news that he won't be taking part in the charity match this Sunday (15 June). It comes after he suffered a string of injuries, including a calf injury, after his 260-mile Soccer Aid challenge at the start of the month. Instead of playing the game, the reality star will be helping from the sidelines as a coach. This Morning host Alison Hammond was keen to know how he's been since his injury, asking: 'Have you recovered, how are you doing?' Sam replied: 'I'm still very sore, still got the torn calf, however I am here at Soccer Aid HQ and it does not get better than this. During an appearance on Friday's episode of This morning, the 32-year-old confirmed the devastating news that he won't be taking part in the charity match this Sunday (15 June) 'We've still got the management team of England, we've got Vicky McClure, Tyson Fury, who's stepping into some new shoes and Harry Redknapp... 'But also because I'm not going to be able to run around, you've also got me, part of the management team. Come on baby!' Dermot said: 'So you can't play this year obviously because you're literally falling apart. 'So is that right? you're not going to play but you're part of the management team?' Sam said: 'Yeah I came here with high hopes and went to see Gary the physio and I can kick a ball from a standing start, but when it comes to like general chaos of playing competitive sport there's just no way. 'I cant really run properly so yeah. They were very kind and said we still want you to be a part, so I get to go on the dark side with Tyson Fury.' Later on in the episode Sam returned to speak to Alison and Dermot live from the pitch and was alongside actress Bella Ramsey, Paddy McGuinness and Strictly's Gorka Márquez. Sam said: 'Bella, this is your first time at soccer aid, what're your initial thoughts?', to which she said she was 'loving it'. Paddy said: 'Once you're here and you find that everyone is just so lovely, its a really nice vibe and its just magic to be part of.' Sam also touched upon his decision to step away from the pitch, saying: 'I actually will be on the sidelines, Bella I don't know if you're aware of this, I am an England coach now. 'Gary has told me I cant play, which i found quite outrageous as well ... but I will be on the sidelines with Tyson Fury. 'I'm also tiny so I don't know if I'm going to be able to get into his ear.' Louis and Sam finally came face-to-face at Soccer Aid training on Thursday in an awkward meet-up. It remained quite the awkward encounter when Louis and Sam had to train beside one another on the pitch, and tried to avoid eye contact while mingling with their other celebrity teammates. The pair tried to not draw attention to themselves as they kept to their own devices, although at one point, they were briefly spotted sharing a glance as 'showboating' Sam gave him a smile. Judi James also shed some light on the little interaction they had on Thursday, admitting their efforts to avoid each other's gaze only acted as an 'attention-magnet'. Judi told how that Sam's behaviour suggests he's keen to be seen as 'anything but a loser in love', while Louis appears more 'introverted'. 'There probably was scope for these two guys to connect with a hug or a handshake, no matter how cursory, but they chose to perform a non-verbal 'ignore' of the situation, with Sam being Zara's ex while Louis is very much her current,' she said. 'The problem with ignoring a very obvious situation is that is tends to then act as an attention-magnet, so the presumed goal of not upstaging the charity becomes a bit of a problem.' Judi told how Sam's body language saw him 'showboating' as he looked determined to be on jovial terms and wanted to avoid being seen as 'a loser in love', compared to Louis' more introverted state. 'Both guys present as 'good' guys here though even though their lack of eye contact or other form of greeting tends to lend an air of drama to the event,' she went on. 'They each appear to have adopted contrasting states. Sam's body language puts him in an attention-seeking mode, showboating with a wide smile and animated gesticulation, while Louis appears more introvert, watching the action with a grin rather than instigating it himself. 'Sam's behavior suggests he's keen to be seen as anything but a loser in love here. His body language looks actively upbeat, confident and excited, suggesting he's moved on since the end of his relationship with Zara. 'Louis appears watchful and interested but there's no outward sign of anything competitive or of open resentment from the two men who are both known as nice guys.' Commenting on the moment the two men caught eyes and shared a brief smile, Judi said Sam was sending the more 'active communication' while Louis still remained 'impassive'. It looks like Sam sending a more active communication across while Louis stands in a more impassive pose with his hands on his hips, watching,' she added. 'Sam's partly raised hands and his what looks like a qualifier smile with his upper lip raised, pushing his cheeks up while his mouth falls open looks like a gesture of friendly sporting bravado. 'He seems to have his bicep 'aimed' at Louis to create a message of physical strength here while his hand is curled into a loose fist. 'If there's a friendly but competitive feel to Sam's pose it's not pinged back by Louis, who looks relaxed and unbothered here.' Zara moved on quickly with Louis after her split from Sam, with the smitten couple having been spotted on a string of loved-up outings and holidays since their romance was made public in March. Sam and Louis were spotted trying to avoid each other during the training session but the singer was caught giving the TV star a lingering stare while on the pitch as Sam glanced back. The pair were seen having a kick about with their fellow players wearing the same blue football kit. Louis appeared visibly awkward as he stood directly behind a cheerful Sam - although it's not known if the pair have interacted with each other behind cameras. But it seems that Sam and Louis will still be keeping their distance from each other in the changing rooms as they have separated spaces. As Sam arrived at the training day, he put on a brave face for photos, while beaming Louis was captured arriving and making his way on to the pitch. And Zara showed her support for her new boyfriend Louis the night before, as she cooked the pair a 'creamy salmon pasta for dinner', as she captured the plate with the singers guitar noticeably in the background. The new couple have enjoyed a loved-up getaway at his home in LA and to Costa Rica together after Louis flew his new flame out to the island first-class. Meanwhile, Sam has moved on with Love Island beauty Samie Eilshi, 25. After their blossoming romance was confirmed when they shared a steamy kiss in Mayfair last month, speculation of a split grew after Samie was noticeably absent from Sam's highly-publicised challenge for Soccer Aid last week. Such rumours have since been squashed however, with their romance reportedly going from strength to strength as they 'love spending time together on their days off', a source close to the couple told MailOnline. Beaming Louis was captured arriving and making his way onto the pitch He couldn't wipe the smile off his face Louis got some tips off of Jill Scott Sam trained alongside the opposition team and his best pal Tony Bellew The session was held out Champneys Tring Sam and Zara confirmed they had ended their relationship in January after more than five years together (Pictured October 2022) During an episode of their podcast Staying Relevant's last month, Pete Wicks, 37, teased Sam about the prospect of the potentially awkward encounter between him and Louis. The TOWIE star asked his co-host: 'You're really going through it with the whole f****** body and dieting and training loads. Is that for Soccer Aid?' But, not dropping the subject, Pete then asked: 'Any kind of people in there who you're looking forward to playing with?' 'Loads,' Sam laughed: 'Tom Grennan. I'm really looking forward to playing alongside Wayne Rooney, Tyson Fury's the manager. I can't wait'. Pete joked: 'I mean that's gonna be f****** amazing. Make sure you get him on side though because you may need him in your corner in case you fall out with anyone. Not that you will but just in case there's any rivalries or anything. 'You know, you have to train together and it's a lot, you know when you're kind of in close quarters with someone like that. All sorts gets brought up. Anyway...' Elsewhere singer Tom Grennan showed off his muscular physique in a fitted white T-shirt and blue denim jeans as he arrived for Soccer Aid training. Meanwhile former goalkeeper Joe Hart beamed as he posed for photos ahead of the game and Strictly star Gorka Marquez also arrived. Last week, Sam suffered a calf injury on the first day of his gruelling 260-mile Soccer Aid challenge for Unicef. Sam feared his legs will be the reason he won't be able to take part in the football game after his challenge last week - but it seems he is all ok to play as he arrived at training Louis was pictured checking out the training grounds It comes after Sam revealed he will be at Soccer Aid as he shared a new Instagram snap on Thursday after suffering a string of agonising injuries Sam gave a heartbreaking update on whether he will be able to play in Soccer Aid after suffering a string of agonising injuries during his charity challenge The Made In Chelsea star has since moved on with Samie Eilishi (pictured last week), 25, after the couple were snapped sharing a steamy kiss last mont Pete Wicks teased Sam about Soccer Aid 'rivalries' during a recent episode of their podcast In a clip posted to Staying Relevant's TikTok account, Pete asked Sam: 'You're really going through it with the whole f****** body and dieting and training loads. Is that for Soccer Aid?' Despite the TV personality fearing his legs will be the reason he won't be able to take part in the football game and insisting he is doing everything he can, it seemed Sam might be able to play some of the game as he took part in training. On Tuesday, Sam shared another update, he wrote: 'Trying to get those legs right for soccer aid!! I WILL play a part [laughing face emoji].' Sam laughed and assured he's 'loving it' but 'no, it's not' for the game, to which Pete continued: 'Are you sure it's not for Soccer Aid? How are you feeling? You're playing again. Must be really exciting.' He added: 'How do you feel about the line up? Do you think you've got a strong team?' Awkwardly laughing, Sam replied: 'Got a really strong team'. Louis will join the likes of Tyson Fury, Jill Scott, Grennan and Paddy McGuinness in the star-studded squad, while Wayne Rooney will step out of retirement as one of the managers. Sam may now have more time to pursue his romance with Samie, who recently opened up about their relationship for the first time. Sam first met Samie, who appeared on Love Island in 2023 and returned to the All Stars series this year, through his presenting role on Aftersun. Samie spoke about the blossoming relationship for the first time during an appearance on the Chloe Mediumship podcast. The show is hosted by a psychic medium and in the episode, the beauty revealed how she's previously had negative gut feelings in past relationships. She explained: 'I've had gut feelings with guys before. I've had a couple of relationships where I've known it was never it. Like this is gonna come to an end, I'll have something telling me every day it's coming to an end, this isn't for you. 'You put it to the back of your mind and then you start noticing the chaos increase. It's like the universe saying I'm gonna blow you both up if you just do not separate. Then I'm like if I only I listened all those months ago when I got that first message.' Then, host Chloe asked: 'Obviously, you don't have to talk about it too much but the guy you're currently speaking to, do you have that gut feeling? Like do you think it's gonna be really good?' Keeping her cards close to her chest, the former Love Islander replied: 'There's been no bad stuff at the minute so yeah I suppose it is all positive right now. It's early days.' Pete hilariously parodied Sam's ex Zara McDermott's famous 'you can!' moment from Made In Chelsea as he supported him on his mammoth challenge last week Sam couldn't hide his emotions after he battled through a calf injury last week to complete his mission for Unicef and Soccer Aid The reality TV star travelled more than 260 miles from London to Manchester over a five day period, raising £1.5million for Unicef in the process Read More BREAKING NEWS Sam Thompson breaks down in tears as he FINALLY completes his gruelling Soccer Aid challenge Zara and Louis sparked relationship speculation at the start of this year before going public in March, three months after MailOnline revealed Zara and ex-boyfriend Sam had parted ways. Despite his heartache over Zara moving on so quickly, sources close to Sam exclusively told MailOnline at the time he holds no grudges against Louis over the new romance. A source close to the star said: 'Sam has no hard feelings towards Louis, that's for sure. 'As far as he's concerned, Louis is Zara's new man and he's just got to accept it. 'He's a positive guy and will just move on from this, throwing himself into work and getting stuck into the exciting projects he's got coming up. 'Obviously he was sad when their relationship broke up and, like anyone, when your ex moves so quickly it's tough. And if he was both angry and devastated, that would be understandable. 'But he's not sitting around wallowing in self pity, far from it.' This year's Soccer Aid for Unicef match airs on the evening of Sunday 15 June on ITV1 and ITVX from Old Trafford, Manchester.
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Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Arsenal dealt major blow as Athletic Bilbao star Nico Williams holds talks with two European rivals ahead of potential summer transfer
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