#rickmartin

On April 7, 1974, Rick Martin entered the Buffalo Sabres' final game of the season needing just one goal to reach the 50-goal plateau. By the end of the night, he had scored three.

Martin's historic 50th goal came at 8:39 of the first period against St. Louis Blues goalie Wayne Stephenson, making him the first player in Buffalo Sabres franchise history to score 50 goals in a season.

He wasn't finished. Martin added his 51st goal early in the third period, a tally that would stand as the game winner in Buffalo's 5-2 victory. Then, with just 47 seconds left in regulation, he completed the hat trick and finished the season with 52 goals.

The feat was even more impressive considering Martin repeated the 52-goal mark the following season despite missing 12 games. His unforgettable season-ending performance remains one of the great individual milestones in Sabres history.

The Buffalo Sabres’ legendary trio, Gilbert Perreault, Rick Martin, and Rene Robert, combined for nine or more points six different times during the 1975-76 season. Their biggest outburst came on March 4, 1976, with a 13-point explosion in a 6–3 win over Chicago.

Even in a wild 14–2 rout of Washington, they posted “only” nine points because Robert didn’t play. Another standout performance came in a 4–2 win over Toronto, where the trio combined for all four goals and ten total points.

Buffalo’s Rick Martin didn’t just score goals, he fought for them too. On March 16, 1975, Martin bagged a Gordie Howe Hat Trick with three goals, an assist, and a fight against Toronto’s Lanny McDonald as the Sabres crushed the Maple Leafs 11–3. Gilbert Perreault added six points in a wild night for the French Connection line.