The Martinells...All in the Family

The Martinells - Reagan, Ryley, Stephanie and Rob

Before meeting Stephanie Martinell the family name was unfamiliar to me.  She expressed interest in coaching one of the Kawartha Komets teams and after going through the necessary checks and balances the Komets were quick to sign her up. 

Inquiring about her hyphenated surname, Eakins-Martinell, I learned that she was related to well-known coach, former Peterborough Pete and, at the time, Toronto Marlies coach, Dallas Eakins.  Dallas spent the 2013-2014 season as head coach of the Edmonton Oilers.  Perhaps some of Dallas’ expertise may have been picked up by his cousin or, more likely, Dallas got his coaching smarts from Ms. Martinell.

Two years later Stephanie Eakins-Martinell has made a name for herself among the Komets Intermediate players.  Her passion for special needs individuals has been very evident and Stephanie added to her portfolio recently by joining the Komets’ board of directors and serves the not-for-profit, charitable organization as Secretary.

In addition to her commitments to the Komets, Stephanie plays hockey for the B-52’s women’s team.  She spends her weekdays employed as a supervisor at Stewart Homes, one of the very best providers of live-in care for challenged and fragile young individuals in Ontario.  Obviously Stephanie has a heart for these “unique” kids.

The three men in Stephanie’s life are also heavily involved in sports in Peterborough with lacrosse being their sport of choice.

Husband Rob has played lacrosse since he was a kid.  His father was involved and Rob quickly took up the sport.  He serves as VP of Rep for the PMLA (Peterborough Minor Lacrosse Association), coaches the Lakers Pee Wee 2 team and plays Masters Lacrosse. Rob stated that “sports and coaching provide an opportunity to teach life lessons such as teamwork, communication, and building kid’s self esteem and self confidence.”

Ryley, 19, played for the Junior “C” Lakers this past season losing out to Cornwall in the 2nd round of playoffs.  He won Gold with the Intermediate Lakers at the provincial tournament and helped coach the Lakers Pee Wee 2 team.  According to Ryley it was a bigger thrill to win gold coaching the Pee Wee 2 team than winning as a player as he watched the kids come together as a team.

Reagan, 11, is involved in several sports including hockey, soccer and track and field but like his dad and big brother, lacrosse is his favourite activity.  Winning the gold medal recently in Nepean with the Lakers Pee Wee 2 team was a big thrill. 

The Martinell’s daughter Kayla, 24, lives out west and is involved with Mpact, a Christian dance group which holds performances based on social issues such as addiction, poverty and abuse.

This closely-knit family literally “plays together” and it’s plain to see that they’re all very proud of each other’s accomplishments.