"They call themselves the Can-Am Connection. But can former A.W.A. champ Rick Martel and all-around good guy Tom Zenk connect with the big time in the W.W.F.?

 Do sheer skill, hard work and integrity count for anything, anymore? If so, the hottest tag team on the W.W.F. scene could be the "Can-Am" connection of Rick Martel and Tom Zenk. Since teaming up the duo has been on fire. And on top of everything else, both are simply "nice guys" - by Lonnie Mars  Wrestling World,  April 1987
 

Veteran hard-nosed reporter Matt Brock was reluctant when first sent on assignment to cover The Can-Am Connection. But by the end of his trip he believed, like many others do, that Rick Martel and Tom Zenk have what it takes to win the WWF tag team championship
by Matt Brock, The Wrestler, August, 1987

For years the WWF has lacked its own equivalent to The Rock'n Roll Express and Midnight Rockers. The Can-Am Connection, Rick Martel and Tom Zenk, fit the image. But before you give them a copycat label, watch what they can do in the ring! - by Liz Hunter, PWI June 1987
 

Tom Zenk and Rick Martel send the fans into a frenzy, with their tanned skin, stone carved bodies and great looks. But will they be able to win the WWF World Title?... It takes more than looks to be champions.... let's see what they can do in the ring - by Steve Pferrer, Wrestling's Main Event, 1987
 

The Can-Am Connection, constitute one of the most popular and flashy tag teams in professional wrestling today. Their combination of skill and athletic ability has literally catapulted the Connection to the status of highly rated contenders for the WWF Tag Team Title  -  by Carol Buffin, WWF Magazine, July 1987
 

Their style is classified as scientific but if and when need be, Martel and Zenk can rough-house it with the biggest and baddest of foes. It seems with each passing day the "Can-Am Connection" are closer to becoming one of the greatest teams of all time - by Donny Liable, Wrestling Eye, August. 1987

It's inevitable: The WWF World tag team champions will go up against the most popular team in the federation. The Hart Foundation vs The Can-Am Connection - it's a natural feud destined to ignite the WWF with excitement. In this special analysis, The Wrestler provides a fan's guide to this impending war- The Wrestler, June, 1987

The Can-Am Connection should claim the WWF Tag Team titles in the near future. They alone have the potential to bring some credibility and dignity to the titles - Wrestling All Stars, 1987

Fans may soon be seeing them in the independent promotions but don't be surprised if they come out of separate dressing rooms - by Ciji Brianne, Wrestling Eye, February, 1988

Extracts from a recent (April 2, 1998) interview, in which Rick Martel re-hashes much of the story line on the Can-Am break-up pushed by WWF in 1987. Plus a short magazine story representing the only substantiated version of Zenk's side of the story. 

"Over the last two weeks, we've sketched the outlines of the story behind the break up of the Can-Am Connection (1987).This week, we'll try and draw together  the more credible elements of the story."
 

Given the way that Tom Zenk and Rick Martel's ring careers criss-crossed each other from 1984 to 1987, it's impossible to ignore Rick Martel's recently announced retirement from wrestling. All the more so since the occasion has been used by Martel's allies to renew their attack on Martel's former tag partner Tom Zenk.....

Tom Zenk says - "The W.W.F. was making good money off of me but my payoff wasn't that great. I talked to Rick about it, since he was supposed to be handling the business end of the deal, but he didn't do anything about it. He just kept telling me to hang in for a few years, make some money and THEN leave. I finally got ticked off......" Interview with Tom Zenk by Ciji Brianne, Wrestling Fury Volume 11 Number 3, June 1988

Rick Martel and Tom Zenk have gone their separate ways. Once titans among the tag teams, the Can-Am Connection has come unconnected. Here's a look back at the dynamic duo and a look into the future for the Canadian, Martel, and the American, Zenk - by Allan Bolte, Wrestling World, December 1987