Welcome back to today’s episode of “Remember the Panthers.” For the details on how the list was created, click here. We left off last week after checking out the very tiny numbers put up through the short Florida careers of Kristian Kudroc, Jon Matsumoto, Jim Campbell, Jeff Taffe, and Jeff Greenlaw.
Today we will look at five more players, namely, two goaltenders, a right winger, a left winger, and a center. Two of them played with the Panthers this season, one for one game, and one for considerably longer. Today also marks the first Panther with a positive APS. Between you and me, it’s been kind of a drag looking at all these could’ve, would’ve and should’ve(s) throughout our almost 20 seasons. Hopefully, you’ll feel a little better as we start to climb the ladder.
For today’s entry, follow the jump.
224. Craig Martin
Martin was a 6’2″ right winger from Amherst, Nova Scotia with the QMJHL Hull Olympiques beginning in the 1987-88 season, noted more for his fighting than for his skating or scoring ability. He was drafted in the fifth round of the 1990 NHL Entry Draft by the Winnipeg Jets, with the 98th overall pick. He would skate for a total of 256 games in the junior league, including 35 games with the St. Hyacinthe Laser to close out the 1990-91 season. In four seasons, he scored 46 goals and 81 assists, along with 953 penalty minutes.
Martin would open 1991-92 with the AHL Moncton Hawks, splitting the season with the IHL Fort Wayne Komets. In 35 games he scored a goal, an assist, and spent 185 minutes in the box. You may notice a trend concerning Martin developing here.
After racking up 198 penalty minutes in 64 games for the Hawks in 1992-93, Martin would sign a free agent contract with the Detroit Red Wings. In 1993-94, he would demonstrate a previously unwitnessed scoring touch, lighting the lamp 15 times along with 24 assists and 297 penalty minutes in 76 games with the AHL Adirondack Red Wings.
Martin would sit the first part of 1994-95 with an injury, after clearing waivers in January he was reclaimed by the Jets. After six games with the AHL Springfield Indians, he would make his NHL debut in February, ultimately spending 20 games with the Jets, assisting one goal and collecting a subdued 19 penalty minutes with a minus-4 rating.
In 1995-96, Martin played 48 games with the Falcons, scoring 11 points to go with 245 penalty minutes. After the season he signed a free agent contract with the Panthers. With the Carolina Monarchs in 44 games that season, he spent 239 minutes in the box, getting called up to play with the Panthers for one game in November, a 3-2 overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabres. He took one shot on goal and earned a five minute fighting major when he fought noted Sabres pugilist Rob Ray to a draw (see video).
Rob Ray vs Craig Martin PANTHERS vs SABRES (via fightarchives)
Martin later played with the IHL San Antonio Dragons (21 games), the IHL Quebec Rafales (24 games), the IHL Manitoba Moose (30 games), the German league Berlin Capitals (45 games), the UHL Adirondack IceHawks (seven games), the WCHL Phoenix Mustangs (70 games), the WCHL Bakersfield Condors (44 games), and the QSPHL Laval Chiefs (34 games). His well traveled career featured a total of 3,803 penalty minutes in 863 games, nearly a five minute major per contest.
All-Time Statline: One season, one game, zero goals, zero assists, zero points, even rating, five PIM, 0.0 APS.
223. Brian Foster
Foster was a 6’1″ goaltender from Pembroke, NH. He was chosen in the fifth round of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft by the Panthers. He would later attend the University of New Hampshire for four years of college, graduating with the class of 2010. In his four collegiate seasons he posted a 40-29-15 record.
2010-11 would see Foster split the season between the CHL Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs (9-9-1) and the ECHL Cincinnati Cyclones (11-6-1, .918, 2.30).
In 2011-12, Foster opened the season as Cincinnati’s primary netminder, ultimately going 16-11-2 through the season. He also posted a 4-6-0 record with the San Antonio Rampage. He made his first and only NHL appearance to date on February 4th, relieving a shellshocked Scott Clemmensen for five minutes to close the second period of a 6-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Foster boasts the best save percentage in Florida Panthers history, making a save on the only shot that he faced.
All-Time Statline: One season, one game, 0-0-0 record, five minutes, one shot faced, one save, 0.00 GAA, 1.000 save percentage.
222. Brett Harkins
Harkins was a 6’1″ left winger from North Ridgefield, OH. He was skating with the Detroit Compuware Ambassadors when the New York Islanders selected him in the seventh round of the 1989 NHL Entry Draft with the 133rd overall pick.
After getting drafted, Harkins elected instead to pursue a college degree. For four seasons he skated with the Bowling Green Falcons, graduating with the Class of 1993. In 150 collegiate games he scored 60 goals and 148 assists.
Harkins spent 80 games with the AHL Adirondack Red Wings in 1993-94, scoring 22 goals and 47 assists. After the season, the Boston Bruins signed him to a free agent contract. He scored 23 goals and 69 assists in 80 games for the Bruins AHL affiliate in Providence. Boston gave him a one game look late in the season. Harkins earned an assist as the Bruins dropped a 5-3 contest to the New York Islanders.
Prior to the 1995-96 season, Harkins signed a free agent contract with Florida. He continued to light up the AHL, scoring 23 goals and 71 assists in 55 games with the Panthers affliliate, the Carolina Panthers. He was called up to Florida in January, then again in March. In eight games he did not score a goal, collecting three assists. He had his first two point game in a 4-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks, with two assists earning one of the three stars on the night. After the season, Boston resigned him to another free agent deal.
Harkins enjoyed his most prolific NHL campaign in 1996-97 with Boston. In 44 games he scored four goals and 14 assists, also collecting 40 points in 28 AHL contests. Following the season he joined the IHL Cleveland Lumberjacks, where he would spend the entirety of the next three seasons, followed by another IHL season with the Houston Aeros. He scored 331 points in 311 games over that span.
After the 2000-01 season, he signed on with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He scored two goals and 12 assists over three callups to the club, spanning 25 games. For the next five seasons he played in assorted Swedish and Finnish leagues, retiring following the 2006-07 season. He is currently the head coach of the Midget Minor Cleveland Barons.
All-Time Statline: One season, eight games, zero goals, three assists, three points, minus-2 rating, six PIM, 0.0 APS.
221. Alexander Salak
Salak was a 6’1″ goaltender from Strakonice, Czechoslovokia. He posted a 27-32-15 over two seasons with TPS Turku in Finland when the Panthers signed him to a free agent contract prior to the 2009-10 season.
Salak posted a respectable 29-14-0 record with the Rochester Americans that season. Salak was called up to the Panthers twice. On October 9th, starter Tomas Vokoun allowed five goals on 26 shots to the Carolina Hurricanes through the first two minutes of the third period. Salak stopped five of seven shots, but Vokoun took the 7-2 loss. Salak got his first start two months later, on December 3rd against the Washington Capitals. His save percentage got only slightly better, as Salak allowed four goals on 33 shots before being pulled in favor of Scott Clemmensen as the Caps pulled out a squeaker, 6-2.
In 2010-11, Salak spent the season with the Swedish Farjestads BK Karlstad. He would return stateside in 2011-12 to play 21 games with the AHL Rockford IceHogs, posting a 6-10-0 record.
All-Time Statline: One season, two games, 0-1-0 record, 67 minutes, 40 shots faced, 34 saves, 5.37 GAA, .850 save percentage.
220. John Madden
Madden was a 5’11” center from Barrie, Ontario. In the two seasons comprising 1991-93, he scored 99 goals and 129 assists in 85 games with the Barrie Colts of the COJHL. He would play the next four seasons for the University of Michigan.
As a four-year letterman Wolverine, Madden scored 80 goals and 100 assists through 160 CCHA games, graduating with the Class of 1997. He was again passed over in the NHL draft, but was offered a free agent contract by New Jersey Devils GM Lou Lamoriello. He scored 154 points in 149 games over two seasons with the AHL Albany River Rats, and would open the 1999-00 season on the Devils roster.
Madden played with the Devils for 10 seasons. In 712 career contests (11th on New Jersey’s all-time leaderboard), he scored 140 goals and 157 assists. His 17 career shorthanded goals is a New Jersey NHL record. He also collected a plus-35 rating and 193 penalty minutes. He was the 2000-01 winner of the Frank J. Selke trophy, given annually to the NHL’s top defensive forward. He helped the Devils to two of their three (so far) Stanley Cups. In 112 Devils playoff contests, he scored 20 goals, including four game winners, and 21 assists.
In 2009-10, Madden played with the Chicago Blackhawks, scoring 10 goals and 13 assists in 79 games. He scored a goal and an assist through 22 playoff games, winning his third Stanley Cup.
2010-11 would see Madden spend the season as a Minnesota Wild – uh – player. He would score 12 goals and 13 assists through 76 games.
After sitting out the first part of the 2011-12 season, the Panthers, dealing with seven forwards out with injuries, signed Madden for the rest of the season. After not getting onto the scoresheet through his first 19 games with the club, Madden scored three in the final 12 games of the season. Through seven playoff games, he did not score, and finished with a minus-3 rating.
There are those that think the Panthers may be done with Madden, but you can bet if given the chance, he would love to help the Panthers bring the cup down south, because it’s the cup (and he wants his fourth).
All-Time Statline: One season, 31 games, three goals, zero assists, three points, minus-4 rating, four penalty minutes, 0.1 APS.
Thank you for reading today’s entry. Tune in tomorrow as we look at a French-Canadian defenseman, a center from Czechoslovakia, a German defenseman, a right winger from Manitoba, and a left winger from Ottawa.
A real brainbuster for you…who will be Florida’s backup goaltender in 2013-14?
| Jose Theodore | 3 |
| Jacob Markstrom | 15 |
| Scott Clemmensen | 13 |
| Brian Foster | 7 |
| Someone else (leave in comments) | 7 |