How Jordan Martinook became a piece of the Carolina Hurricanes’ heart and soul
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Martinook earned a reputation for tenacity, grit and shot blocking throughout his career.
- He became a fixture on the Canes' top shutdown line alongside Jordan Staal.
- Martinook cites Shane Doan and early mentors as key influences on his leadership.
Just call him “Marty Martinook.”
That’s what his pal, former Arizona Coyotes superstar Shane Doan, called him in Phoenix. Never mind that his parents, Mark and Wendy, named him Jordan.
“We’re working on trying to convince everyone that it’s ‘Marty Martinook’ — that his parents called him that,” Doan said in a 2016 interview.
Martinook revealed in that same interview that he felt more than half the Coyotes team spent the better part of his first full season in the NHL believing his first name was Marty. It was part of the playful banter Martinook and camaraderie developed early on with the veteran Doan, as he was starting his NHL journey.
That’s not all Doan passed along to the Brandon, Manitoba native.
Monday, Martinook — still known only as “Marty” to most everyone — met the media in preparation for the biggest games of his pro hockey career, the 2026 Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights. And the almost-always-affable Carolina Hurricanes forward, known for his gregarious nature off the ice as much as his tenacity on it, tipped his cap to Doan.
“I owe a lot to Shane,” Martinook said. “When I finally made Arizona, to see the way he treated people, the way he led and did so many amazing things in the community and the way, honestly, just the way he treated people.”
‘Developing as a leader’
Martinook had to learn a bit of humility quickly in his pro career.
After he played for two seasons with the Vancouver Giants in the Western Hockey League under legendary coach Don Hay — where he scored 40 goals as a 19-year-old — the Coyotes selected Martinook in the second round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.
The next season, he suited up for the Coyotes’ AHL affiliate in Maine, the Portland Pirates.
“Marty showed leadership right away,” said Ray Edwards, Martinook’s head coach in Portland. “You knew right away, he was a great teammate, did everything he had to do away from the rink. He’s a true professional, came in with the right attitude and checked every box.”
On the ice, Martinook impressed, as well.
“We didn’t mess around with his playing time,” Edwards said. “He played in all situations, he was a go-to guy on power play, penalty kill, whatever, because he played the right way.”
His second year in the AHL was tougher. A lease dispute forced the Pirates to play their home games in a smaller arena some 40 miles north of Portland, in Lewiston, Maine. The Pirates had to bus to each of their home games that season, playing in a rink that, while suitable for junior hockey, fell short of most modern pro-league standards.
“As any hockey player, if you’re in the minors, you’re wanting to reach that next level,” Martinook said. “I think that was just part of my journey, being on those teams, and obviously that situation in Lewiston wasn’t ideal, but you make do with what you’ve got.”
There was a lot of “making do” in Lewiston that season. The Pirates finished 24-39-13, dead last in the 15-team Eastern Conference. Martinook had 48 points in 67 games, though. He kept plugging away.
“The jump from junior hockey to the American League, people don’t realize how massive a jump that is,” Edwards said. “To jump in as a 20-year-old and to produce, and not only produce, but play in high-leverage situations when the temperature is up, whether 6-on-5, 4-on-5 or 4-on-6 against, power play to win the game, taking a draw to win the game, those types of things. He was put in all of those situations, and he deserved every bit of it.”
The following season, Martinook played another 62 games for the Pirates — who were back in their home building in Portland — and also eight games in Arizona.
“I loved my time in the American League,” Martinook said. “It made me a better player, and made me be able to stay consistent in this league.”
He hasn’t played another AHL game since. He was a surprise addition to the Coyotes’ NHL roster out of training camp in 2015, playing 81 of the team’s 82 games that season.
“The reason (he stayed) is pretty simple, it’s because he always plays the right way,” Edwards said. “The coaches trust him because he doesn’t cheat the game. If there’s a structure in place, he plays it. He’s team-oriented, understands the details of the game and won’t compromise. Coaches trusted him from a very young age.”
He played another 158 NHL games over the next two seasons in Arizona, all the while learning more and more under Doan, becoming a leader.
Forging an identity
In 2018, Tom Dundon bought the Carolina Hurricanes, a struggling NHL franchise in the midst of a 10-year playoff drought.
The new owner cleaned house: out with the GM; out with the head coach.
But, Dundon kept assistant coach Rod Brind’Amour, installing the former Hurricanes captain as head coach, a shift that changed the franchise’s dynamic.
Newly installed GM Don Waddell and Brind’Amour started fresh, building the team with players that shared characteristics of Brind’Amour as a player — players like Martinook.
In the 2019 playoffs, the Hurricanes snapped their 10-season playoff drought, starting an eight-year run of playoff appearances that remains active. That playoff run in 2019, which culminated in an Eastern Conference Final appearance, was Martinook’s first in the NHL.
He’s also since admitted he played 10 games in those playoffs with a torn groin muscle.
“A couple of times I went home after games, and I was in my closet, and I was crying.,” Martinook said later. “My wife was rubbing my back and she was like, ‘Why do you keep doing this?’ I was like, ‘Why? I don’t know how many chances you get at this.’ I’ll play through anything if they let me.”
He, like the Canes, hasn’t missed since, becoming a fixture on the Canes’ top shutdown line alongside captain Jordan Staal.
He also hasn’t missed a beat when it comes to leadership, evolving into a vocal presence, on and off the ice. Martinook won the team’s Vasicek Award for cooperation with the media in 2020, and was the team’s nominee for the NHL’s Bill Masterton Trophy for perseverance and dedication to the game in 2023.
Even Edwards, now the director of player development for the Calgary Flames of the NHL, still uses Martinook as a case study for young professional players.
“Marty’s path is a great example to guys, where he is, and how he played junior, then played three years in the AHL with a little up and back, and then stayed,” Edwards said. “Many young players, they all want it right away. Marty had to pay his dues a little, but he did it the right way. And now, hopefully, he can find a way to win the Cup.”
With respect
Known more for his tenacity and grit, hard forecheck, and penchant for killing key penalties, Martinook has also dazzled with some highlights in Carolina, including a diving, sliding save of a surefire empty net goal against the Rangers in the 2024 playoffs. And who could forget just weeks ago, when Martinook scored the game-winner against Ottawa in the second overtime of a first-round playoff game — after missing on a bizarre penalty-shot scenario in the first overtime.
“Ever been on a teeter-totter before?” Martinook joked after the game, breaking into a smile. “I was the big guy on the one end. Yeah, I felt pretty bad when I didn’t score that one. Then obviously, when you score …
“I don’t know, hockey’s crazy,” Martinook concluded. “Sports are crazy. To be able to score after that, I’ll be able to tell my grandkids about that.”
To be sure, Martinook has already discussed that miss — and many successes — with his kids, whom he shouts out after every one of his many in-game TV interviews, even when they should probably be asleep.
On the ice, he blocks shots with aplomb, sacrificing his body for the greater good of the team. He’s played with torn and broken body parts. He skates nearly half of his ice time, better than 45%, in the offensive zone, per the NHL’s Edge stats.
He draws his teammates’ praise at every turn, and he does it all with respect.
Why?
“If you treat people with respect — it doesn’t matter if it’s a GM or a teammate or Tommy who’s outside our locker room when you’re walking in — treat everyone with respect, and good things will happen for you,” Martinook said Monday.
So far, so good for the man they call “Marty.”
This story was originally published June 2, 2026 at 12:00 PM with the headline "How Jordan Martinook became a piece of the Carolina Hurricanes’ heart and soul."
