This one really hits home. As a kid growing up in Buffalo during the Sabres' exciting early years, the Sabres in general and the French Connection in particular were 'rock star' – like heroes my friends and I all idolized. Rick Martin was one of the biggest icons of our youth. His powerful slapshot and quick release made him a pure offensive weapon. He held the rookie goal scoring record for years with 44, breaking his linemate Perreault's record set one year earlier. He scored 44 or more goals 5 times in his career, and broke the 50 goal mark twice, and was the Sabres' first ever 50 goal scorer. But it was more than just the numbers. It was the style, the flash, the flying hair, the big sideburns, the exotic (to us anyway) French-Canadian names and accents..... To us, they were not only great athletes, they were cool. RIP Rico – thanks for the memories.