Sad news for Buffalo Sabres fans, as one third of the French Connection line in the 1970's died this morning. Richard Martin passed away after suffering a heart attack while driving at the age of 59. Martin joined the Sabres in 1971, when he was drafted in the first round. He would be a part of the Sabres' French Connection when Martin was on a line with Gilbert Perreault (the first draft pick in Sabres' history) and Rene Robert (acquired in the middle of the 1971-72 season) and together, the trio would post impressive offensive numbers, and while Perreault got most of the press, Robert and Martin each contributed their fair share. How important was the trio to Sabres history? In 1995, Martin and Robert's jerseys were retired together with Perreault's, even though Perreault had his number retired five years earlier. In the last two weeks, the trio were reunited in an effort by new Sabres owner Terry Pegula to involve the Sabres alumni more into the team's activites. Martin's life came to an end too soon, but his legacy lives on, both with the Sabres and the NHL.
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