[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 808]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING PIT MARTIN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MIKE QUIGLEY

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 27, 2010

  Mr. QUIGLEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of 
former Chicago Blackhawk, Pit Martin. Pit was born in Rouyn-Noranda, 
Quebec, played 17 seasons in the NHL, and died in a tragic snowmobile 
accident two winters ago. He was only 64.
  Pit is remembered as a hockey player, and for good reason because he 
was a darned great one. His storied career spanned four teams and 19 
years--including 11 seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks. In 740 games, 
Pit scored 243 goals, dished out 384 assists, and was the ``M'' on the 
Chicago Stadium's iconic ``MPH'' line with Jim Pappin and Dennis Hull. 
He was named to four All-Star teams and led the Hawks to two Stanley 
Cup Finals.
  But anyone who stood 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighed 168 pounds in 
the NHL can never be defined by numbers alone--and so it was with Pit. 
After the 1969-70 season, he was awarded the Bill Masterson Trophy, 
exemplifying the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and 
dedication to hockey. He was never the biggest dog in the fight, but 
during the 1,101 games he suited up for, no one fought harder, worked 
harder, and did more with less.
  When Pit passed away, Hall-of-Fame linesman Matt Pavelich summed it 
up best: ``He was small, but he wasn't timid. I just remember him as a 
real nice guy.'' The Blackhawk family and the city of Chicago miss him.
  Let's see if we can finish what he helped start, and bring home a 
Stanley Cup this year, for Pit, and all of Chicago.

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