News release
5 June 2007
New Jackals Head Coach Steve Martinson addresses fans at Tuesday's press conference at First Arena.
Elmiras 7th Bench General Will Lead Team Into ECHL
ELMIRA, NY Team President Tamer Afr announced the hiring of Steve Martinson as the Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations for the Elmira Jackals at a press conference Tuesday night at First Arena.
Martinson comes to the Jackals with one of the most impressive coaching records in all of minor league hockey. In his 12-year coaching career in the WCHL, ECHL and UHL, Martinson has amassed a regular season record of 576-203-68 and has eight championship rings to his credit; six as a Head Coach and two as a player. He becomes Elmiras seventh Head Coach in Franchise history and will begin his 13th season as a head coach in professional hockey by leading the Jackals into their 8th season of operations and 1st in the ECHL in 2007-08.
For the past three seasons the Minnetonka, Minnesota native has been entrenched as the Head Coach for the Rockford IceHogs, leading the club to unmatched levels of excellence, setting every imaginable IceHogs coaching record. He took the IceHogs to their first ever league championship as Rockford beat the Kalamazoo Wings in seven games to win the UHLs 2007 Colonial Cup. Martinson notched his 500th career professional coaching win on December 30, 2005 with a 6-1 thrashing of the Roanoke Valley Vipers at the Rockford MetroCentre. In that same season with Rockford, 2005-06 Martinson led them to the best record in club history, a mark of 48-19-9. That record was good enough to capture the IceHogs first ever Division title, as the UHLs Western Division regular season champs. Martinsons teams in Rockford always went deep into the postseason; he took the IceHogs to no less than the Colonial Cup Semifinals in all three seasons behind the bench in Illinois.
I am very excited to be in Elmira and I am looking forward to moving back to the ECHL, said new Elmira Jackals Head Coach Steve Martinson. I really like the town, it will provide me with everything I need to recruit the type of players I like. Elmira offers great opportunities for both older players with families and younger players looking to establish themselves as professionals. I am really looking forward to the season coming in October.
Martinson began his illustrious career with the San Diego Gulls of the West Coast Hockey League in the 1995-96 season. In nine years in charge of the Gulls he compiled a regular season record of 434-138-33, translating to a 0.714 winning percentage. In terms of hardware, Martinson led the Gulls to five WCHL Taylor Cup Championships (1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002) and four Founders Cups, as the WCHLs top regular season team. In his last season with San Diego, the teams first year in the ECHL, his Gulls squad set an ECHL record for the best regular season record by an expansion team, going 49-13-10 as well as capturing the 2003-2004 Brabham Cup for the top regular season record in the ECHL.
As a player, Martinsons career began in 1981 when the winger debuted for the Toledo Goaldiggers (IHL) and lasted until the 1995-96 campaign when he suited up for San Diego for one game. The tough, gritty winger appeared in 579 regular season games during his 14-year professional career, racking up 228 points (89 goals, 139 assists) and accumulating over 3,000 penalty minutes in 628 combined regular and postseason games. Martinson appeared in 49 games over four seasons in the National Hockey League with the Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens and Minnesota North Stars, recording 3 points (2 goals, 1 assist) and 244 minutes in penalties. He also appeared in one game for Montreal during the 1989 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Martinson set an American Hockey League record for majors in a season (49 majors), compiled during the 1985-86 season while playing for the Hershey Bears, a record that still stands today. Martinson won two championships as a player, the 1982 IHL Championship with the Toledo Goaldiggers and the 1984 CHL Championship with the Tulsa Oilers.