Blackhawks fans should remember new defenseman Alec Martinez for at least one thing. An overtime goal that denied Chicago the Stanley Cup in 2014. Connor Bedard gets squeezed by Alec Martinez (left, 23) and Keegan Kolesar (right, 55) [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjA1Nzk0NjcwMzY4Nzk0NDk1/usatsi_23044180_168401008_lowres.jpg] Connor Bedard gets squeezed by Alec Martinez (left, 23) and Keegan Kolesar (right, 55) Then with the Los Angeles, Martinez scored at 5:47 of the extra period in Game 7 of the Western Conference Final to give the Kings a 5-4 win at the United Center on June 2, 2014. Martinez's shot from the left point deflected off Blackhawks defenseman Nick Leddy [http://www.espn.com/nhl/player/_/id/5447/nick-leddy] and fluttered over goalie Corey Crawford [http://www.espn.com/nhl/player/_/id/2339/corey-crawford] "I didn't really see it go in," Martinez said after the game. "I know it went off a couple bodies. I just tried to get it through and fortunately it went in." Los Angeles went on to beat the New York Rangers four games to one in the Stanley Cup Final. Had the Blackhawks won that decisive game versus the Kings, they probably would have prevailed over the Rangers. The Kings and Blackhawks had emerged as the two best teams in the NHL that season. Chicago took the Cup in 2010, 2013 and 2015. A championship in 2014 would have made the Blackhawks the first winners in back-to-back seasons since Detroit in 1997 and 1998. Alec Martinez [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjA2ODUzNzUyNjY0MTA2NDY3/alec-martinez.jpg] Alec Martinez Martinez, then 26, was finishing up his fourth full NHL season when he scored that goal. His ice time climbed with the Kings starting in the following year and it peaked at over 22 minutes per game with Los Angeles, then later with Vegas. STABILIZING VETERAN ON BLACKHAWKS NOW: REMEMBERS GOAL THEN Martinez, now 37, signed a one-year, $4 million UFA deal with Chicago on July 1. He'll provide veteran stability and mentoring with the Blackhawks rather than big minutes, although he averaged 19:03 last season in 55 games for the Golden Knights. Martinez knew he'd be asked about "the goal" before just about anything else. He admits it was the biggest of his 15-year career. A stay-at-home D-man, the Rochester Hills, Michigan native has 83 goals in 818 regular-season games, plus 14 more more in 131 playoff contests. "I remember it vividly," Martinez said during an video interview with reporters after signing with Chicago. "I'm kind of surprised it lasted to Question 2 to hear about it." The Kings and Blackhawks played some terrific postseason hockey a decade ago. Los Angeles fought back from 2-0 and, 3-2 and 4-3 deficits in that Game 7 to tie it in the third period, then win it on Martinez's score. "We definitely had some heated battles," Martinez said. "You mentioned probably the top two teams in the league that year. Obviously that's no disrespect to anyone else and quite frankly if they get upset about that, it was 10 years ago...." See following video. New Blackhawks D-Man Alex Martinez recalls his OT goal that lifted the Kings over Blackhawks in Game 7 of the Western Conference Final. "It was heated matchups not just that year, but in previous years and years after," Martinez added. "That's one of the best things about pro sports, you want the best teams competing against each other, so obviously I am very away of what the United Center is like and I'm excited to see it on the other side of things. I know how difficult of a building it is to play in. I know how loud the fans are. I know how awesome the atmosphere is. "But yeah, those were some fun times. Heated games. Heated series. For whatever reason, that year we came out on top, but I know Chicago had our number multiple times as well." Martinez was no stranger to the Blackhawks' rivalries. From suburban Detroit, he grew up watching the Red Wings and Chicago go at it. Now he's looking forward to experiencing things from a Blackhawks perspective after being "on the receiving end" of the United Center's crowd's jeers. "It's kind of cool for me to say I'm going to wear that jersey because I grew up watching them, be it not as a (Blackhawks) fan, but because I was a fan of the Wings. It's a pretty awesome organization to be a part of. When they called, I was certainly interested." See following video. New D-Man Alec Martinez looks forwards to joining the Blackhawks
