Lorsque Matt Martin et sa femme ont eu leur première fille, Windsor, il n’a eu que cinq jours à passer avec elle avant de partir pour la bulle de la LNH pendant 2 mois et demi. Au lieu de faire l’expérience de la vie avec un nouveau-né, il s’est contenté de FaceTiming quatre ou cinq fois par jour avec sa femme Sydney Esiason alors que les Islanders se rendaient à la finale de la Conférence de l’Est au cours de l’été et de l’automne 2020.
Donc, cette fois-ci, quand Martin a dû partir pour Saint-Louis après la naissance de leur deuxième fille, Alice, mardi dernier, ce n’était pas si mal. Martin raté la victoire des Islanders contre les Blackhawks d’être là pour la naissance d’Alice et était de retour avec sa famille samedi soir après que le voyage de l’équipe se soit terminé par une défaite de 3-0 contre les Red Wings plus tôt dans la journée.
“C’est assez, évidemment, incroyable d’être là pour ça et d’accueillir Alice dans le monde et de profiter de ce moment avec Sydney”, a déclaré Martin au Post lundi matin. «Elle a été testée et autorisée, et Sydney a été testée et autorisée, tout le monde en bonne santé, capable de rentrer chez lui et de s’envoler pour Saint-Louis et de se préparer pour le match du lendemain.
“[Sunday’ was the first full day to be able to be a full family. Winnie, Alice, Sydney, and it’s man-on-man coverage now. I spent most of the day with Winnie, Sydney spent most of the day with Alice.”
Needing to balance family with his career is nothing new for Martin, who is in his 14th year in the NHL and has been married to Sydney since 2019. Everyone involved understands what this will entail, and the current situation is much more ideal for Martin than it was two years ago.
That said, dealing with two young children will be a challenge unto itself.
“We thought Winnie was hard, but we could at least share the responsibilities,” Martin said. “Now, you have eyes on two of them. But it’s part of life. It’s an amazing thing. It’s a blessing. I’m enjoying it.”
At just over 2 years old, Martin said that Winnie can recognize the Islanders logo and has some understanding of what her father does for a living. When she sees it flash up on TV, she says “Dada” or “Daddy.”
“When she comes to warm-ups, she loves standing at the glass,” Martin said. “I don’t know if she really understands that it’s me when I come up to her, but she really enjoys watching the guys skate around, and she likes to eat the french fries and everything in the family room. I think she comprehends what’s going on.”
Though Martin had yet to score a “Dad goal” heading into Monday night’s game against Calgary, he had already nearly surpassed his scoring total from last season, with two goals in 11 games. Last year, when the Islanders played a more conservative style under Barry Trotz, Martin scored three times in 71 games. He’s reached double digits just once in his career, when he scored 10 times with the Isles in 2015-16, but he’s on pace to threaten that career-high.
All of that, though, isn’t at the top of his mind right now.
He’s focused on the team, yes, but this is also a time to enjoy being with family.
“I love to spend time with the kids. It’s just nice to be able to especially get away from the game at times,” Martin said. “You go home and focus on your family and not think about hockey 24/7 like I probably did when I was younger, without responsibilities.
“I think that keeps your mind fresh as well. Keeps things in perspective.”
