Martin Gélinas
A clutch playoff performer nicknamed 'The Eliminator' for his uncanny knack for scoring series-winning goals.
Born 1970 (age 56)·Canadian ice hockey player·Birthday: June 5·Generation X
Biography
Martin Gélinas carved out a remarkable 16-year NHL journey defined by a specific, pressurized talent: showing up when it mattered most. Drafted in the first round in 1988, his career began in surreal fashion as he was included as a 'futures' piece in the monumental trade that sent Wayne Gretzky to Los Angeles. In Edmonton, he won a Stanley Cup as a rookie in 1990. But his true identity emerged later—as a relentless, hard-forechecking winger with a gift for dramatic timing. Playing for Vancouver, Carolina, and Calgary, he became infamous to opponents for his series-clinching goals, a reputation that earned him his enduring nickname. His most famous moment came in 2004, scoring the goal for Calgary that many believed should have won the Stanley Cup, only for it to be controversially ruled 'no goal.'
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Martin was born in 1970, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Martin Was Born
The biggest hits of 1970
#1 Movie
Love Story
Best Picture
Patton
#1 TV Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Martin's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1970Born
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1975Started school
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1983Became a teenager
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1986Could drive
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1988Could vote
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1991Turned 21
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2000Turned 30
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 40
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 50
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 56 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the Stanley Cup as a rookie with the Edmonton Oilers in 1990.
- Scored three separate series-clinching overtime goals during the 2004 playoffs with the Calgary Flames.
- Played in over 1,200 regular-season NHL games and an additional 140 playoff contests.
Did You Know?
He was one of the players sent from Los Angeles to Edmonton in the 1988 Wayne Gretzky trade, though he had never played an NHL game for the Kings.
His nickname, 'The Eliminator' or 'The Eliminato,' was coined by a Calgary sportswriter during the 2004 playoff run.
After retiring, he served as the Director of Player Development for the Calgary Flames for over a decade.
“You prepare all year for those moments in the spring.”
