Stanley Cup-winning defenseman joins select Knights broadcasts

It felt like the first day of school for Alec Martinez.

The former Golden Knights defenseman approached the small media scrum outside the UNLV locker room at City National Arena with a backpack on his shoulders, ready to tackle his new role.

Martinez, who was part of the Knights’ 2023 Stanley Cup championship team, has no idea how it’ll go, but he’s going to give broadcasting a shot. Martinez will join the club as a TV analyst on Vegas 34 for select games throughout the season.

The 38-year-old retired in April after 16 years in the NHL. Martinez played 221 of his 862 games with the Knights after being acquired in February 2020 from the Los Angeles Kings for two second-round picks. His toughness and sense of humor made him one of the most beloved players on the team.

“This next year, I kind of just want to be a dad and get my health back,” Martinez said Wednesday morning. “It’s an opportunity to kind of do something fun. I get to come to Vegas with a couple of my buddies, talk some hockey, watch some hockey. It was a pretty easy decision.”

Martinez, his wife, Emily, and their two young children moved back to Los Angeles after last season. The four-hour drive or the one-hour flight makes it an easy commute to Las Vegas whenever he’s needed.

Martinez made his TV debut Wednesday in the Knights’ preseason game against the Colorado Avalanche working the pregame, intermission and postgame reports.

“I guess we’ll find out if I’m any good at it. I hope I am, but I might be terrible,” Martinez said, joking. “We’re gonna have a decent sample size and do a few games. Just an opportunity to try something and see if I like it.”

Martinez said he started to discuss getting into TV his final year with the Knights. Team broadcaster Daren Millard brought the idea up, but it was put on hold when Martinez decided to play one more season. He signed a one-year, $4 million deal with the Chicago Blackhawks in July 2024.

Martinez sees himself doing at least a dozen games throughout the season but doesn’t want to commit to more right now.

“Just trying to enjoy retired life, not having to block shots anymore,” Martinez said. “I’m sure my wife is as happy I’m here as I am, just to get me out of the house.”

Martinez had seven points in 22 games in the 2023 playoffs and scored a goal in the Knights’ 9-3 rout in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers, which clinched the franchise’s first championship.

Martinez spent parts of 11 seasons with the Kings after being drafted in the fourth round in 2007. He won the Stanley Cup twice with Los Angeles and scored the Cup-clinching goal in Game 5 of the 2014 Final in double overtime against the New York Rangers.

He won’t rely on just his playing experience as a broadcaster, but also on the personal relationships he built. Martinez hopes to bring that element, and his personality, to the broadcast.

“Maybe throw something, not anything personal, but a few jabs here and there,” Martinez said. “(I’ll) probably (be) a homer. I’m not gonna rip on anyone. Anything that I could say that they’re doing wrong, you probably have 100 clips of me doing that exact wrong thing throughout my career.”

Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.