He was a friend of my parents, interested in hockey, so naturally they introduced me to him. At some point he brought up Jason Spezza, commenting that he’d kind of passed his prime. I pointed out that he’d scored 30 goals that season. He was shocked. Even five minutes later, he was still shaking his head, saying “Really? 30 goals?!”
In a way, Spezza’s career was always haunted by Jacques Martin’s infamous words: “He’s a boy playing a man’s game.” His game was never appreciated, either by Ottawa Senators fans or league-wide.