NOW: In his second full season with the Flyers, Lac St. Charles’ favorite son Martin Biron has settled into Philadelphia’s starting goaltender role with relative ease. Since November 11th, Marty holds a 6-1-2 record including a 40 save shutout against his former Buffalo ‘mates. Steep irony, as the Sabres organization once demoted Biron to back-up duty behind Ryan Miller for over an entire season prior to the ‘07 Flyers/Sabres trade deadline swap. Revenge is best served cold.
Biron struck gold with Canada at the 1997 World Junior Championships.
THEN: Marty’s road to an NHL starting job would prove rocky and full of obstacles upon his first round selection in the 1995 draft. Sabres roadblock #1: perennial Vezina Trophy winner Dominik Hasek! Enough said. Once Biron finally cemented the starting role at age 25, the aforementioned Miller began to wrestle time away from Marty between Buffalo’s pipes. A tremendous “team first” attitude benefitted the resilient Biron throughout the goaltending time share that he expereinced before arriving on Philly’s Broad Street in 2007.
Click the photo above for Marty’s career stats!
OFF THE ICE: Aside from the killer instincts required to compete as an NHL goalie, Marty is widely recognized by fans, players, and media alike as the most friendly player in the league. Despite his stardom, the Quebec-born netminder remains as modest and humble today as he was when he rode buses as a teenaged prospect in the QMJHL. Known for chatting with fans while graciously signing tons of autographs, the following is an exchange that the amiable and quick-witted goalie had with fans in Boston before a practice session in 2006:
A collector outside of the team hotel asked, “Hey Marty, you guys are practicing out at Harvard today?” With a wide smile, the clever Biron quipped, “Yeah, I brought some books so I can study!”
