By Jordan Long
One of the best skaters to ever put on a San Jose Sharks’ sweater, Patrick Marleau, has decided to retire. He played 23 NHL seasons. During his playing time he broke the NHL record for most games played. His next stop should be the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Marleau was drafted by the San Jose Sharks 2nd overall in the 1997 NHL Draft. In the 1997 to 1998 season he appeared in 74 games. He totaled 13 goals and 19 assists, a taste of what he could do at the NHL level. Marleau stayed in San Jose until the end of the 2016 season. In that span, Marleau became one of the best goal scorers on the San Jose Sharks. He had 20+ goals in a season 14 times with the Sharks. His top season came in 2009-2010 when Marleau lit the lamp a career high 44 times.
The Sharks earned a playoff spot 16 times with him. They managed to advance to the Western Conference Finals in 2010 and 2011 ending in disappointment as the Sharks’ season ended there. In 2010 they were swept by the eventual Stanley Cup Champions Chicago Black Hawks. In 2011 they faced the Vancouver Canucks but they lost in 5 games.
In 2016, the San Jose Sharks finally found a way to reach the Stanley Cup Final. They knocked off the L.A. Kings, Nashville Predators, and St. Louis Blues. This was the first time Marleau was playing for the Cup. Unfortunately, they ran into Pittsburgh who beat them in 6 games.
Following the 2017 season, Marleau was a free agent. It was surprising San Jose allowed him to hit free agency. He signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs on July 2nd, 2017. It was a 3-year deal worth a total of $18.75 million. He stayed in Toronto until the end of the 2019 season. In two years with Toronto, Marleau had 43 goals and 41 assists for a total of 84 points.
On June 22, 2019, Toronto traded Marleau to the Carolina Hurricanes for salary cap reasons. This was going to help Toronto free up money. He didn’t want to play for Carolina and they bought out the rest of his contract.
Marleau returned to San Jose for the 2019-2020 season. It lasted 58 games. San Jose knew the only missing accomplishment for him was a Cup. San Jose dealt him to Pittsburgh on February 24th, 2020. This was in hopes of him winning the Cup. Of course, the season was paused for the COVID 19 pandemic and resumed in the bubble. In the qualifying round, which was a best of 5, Pittsburgh faced Montreal. Montreal knocked off Pittsburgh in 4 games, ending their season.
On October 13, 2020, he came back to San Jose for the 2020-2021 season. This would be his last in the NHL. That year, Marleau appeared in 56 games but he was clearly not the same player. He scored just 4 goals and added 5 assists.
Marleau didn’t play this year. He took his time to decide what was next for him. Marleau made the tough decision to retire from the NHL. According to ESPN.com, Marleau said, “It’s bittersweet for sure, but I have so much to look forward to. Who knows what the world has in store for me. If you would have told that kid on the frozen pond that he would break a games-played record held by none other than Gordie Howe, he would have thought you were crazy. It was never something I aimed for; it was just me loving this game so much that I never, ever wanted to hang up my skates.”
This was the best choice for him. Marleau was one of the top players to ever play in the NHL. In his NHL career, Marleau appeared in 1,779 games, the most in NHL history. He scored 566 goals and added 631 assists for a total of 1,197 points in his career. He is the top goal scorer and has the most points in San Jose history. Marleau had 522 goals and 1,111 points during his time in San Jose. When it came to the playoffs, a skater wants to play well. Marleau played in 195 playoff games, scoring 72 goals and added 55 assists for a total of 127 points.
The only thing missing for Marleau is a Stanley Cup ring. There wasn’t a guarantee that if he kept playing, he would win it. It was time for him to walk away. Marleau’s next stop should be the Hockey Hall of Fame. He deserves the highest honor since Marleau was one of the best to ever play the NHL game.
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