over the rebuilding club, who missed the playoffs the previous season. Under Martin, the Platers finished second in the Emms Division with a 41–23–2 record, earning 84 points, which was a 37-point improvement for the team. In the playoffs, the Platers would win the J. Ross Robertson Cup, defeating the Belleville Bulls in the final round, to advance to the 1986 Memorial Cup, held in Portland, Oregon. In the Memorial Cup, the Platers earned a 2–1 record in the round-robin, and advanced straight to the finals. In the final game of the tournament, Guelph defeated the Hull Olympiques by a score of 6–2 to capture the Memorial Cup. Martin won the Matt Leyden Trophy awarded to the best coach in the OHL. Following the season, Martin left the Platers and became the head coach of the St. Louis Blues. St. Louis Blues (1986–88) Martin took over as the head coach of the St. Louis Blues in 1986–87. On October 9, 1986, Martin coached and won his first career NHL game, defeating the Los Angeles Kings 4–3. Despite the team finishing the season with an under .500 record of 32–33–15, the Blues had the best record in the Norris Division. In the first round of the playoffs, the Blues were upset by the Toronto Maple Leafs, losing in six games. The Blues had another mediocre regular season in 1987–88, as the club finished with a 34–38–8 record, finishing in second place in the Norris Division. In the post-season, the Blues defeated the Chicago Blackhawks in five games in the Norris Division semi-finals, however, St. Louis lost to the Detroit Red Wings in five games in the division final. After the season, the Blues fired Martin. Chicago Blackhawks (1988–90) Martin became an assistant coach under newly hired Chicago Blackhawks head coach Mike Keenan in 1988–89. In his first season with the Hawks, the club finished in the fourth and final playoff position in the Norris Division with a 27–41–12 record. In the post-season, the Blackhawks upset the division-winning Detroit Red Wings in the first round, defeating them in six games. In the Norris Division finals against Martin's former club, the St. Louis Blues, the Blackhawks continued their Cinderella run, defeating the favoured Blues in five games, advancing to the Campbell Conference final, against the Calgary Flames. The Blackhawks would lose to the Flames in five games, who went on to win the