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The San Jose Sharks legend, Patrick Marleau, is sneaking up on a legendary stat of a legend in the NHL world. At 41 years young, Patrick Marleau this week just passed up Jaromir Jagr for third all-time in games played with now 1,735. Marleau needs 21 games to tie another hockey legend, Mark Messier for second all-time in games played in the NHL. Both Jagr and Messier are two of the greatest players in NHL history. In a young hockey season, only about ten games in, could Marleau be number one in games played by the end of this season all-time in the NHL? If Patrick Marleau stays healthy, he could skate in 33 more games and break the original MR. Hockey, Gordie Howe’s, record of 1,767 games. Would this stat cement Patrick Marleau’s legacy in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Patrick Marleau was born in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, Canada. Marleau was drafted number two overall by the San Jose Sharks in the 1997 NHL draft. Since then he has played 23 seasons in the NHL with 3 teams. Marleau will always be a Shark wearing the teal colors in everyone’s mind. Marleau played two seasons in Toronto and then returned to San Jose. The Sharks traded Marleau to the Pittsburgh Penguins to give him a shot at winning a Stanley Cup. Penguins were dispatched quickly and Marleau has returned home for his third stint with the Sharks, with whom he spent 19 seasons. Marleau could be compared to some of the best Iron men greats in hockey and other sports like Cal Ripken Jr. in baseball and Brett Farve in football. Marleau has played in all 82 regular season games nine times which has been the set amount for decades until the pandemic or the strike seasons before the virus.

Besides just skating on the ice and showing up to play. Marleau has racked up 562 goals in his career which is good for 25th all-time ever in the NHL. Marleau has earned over thousand points also in his career with a grand total of 1,190. Let’s not forget dishing out 628 assists. Marleau is the Sharks all-time goal scorer with 518 tallies. Plus Marleau leads the Sharks all-time in points with 1,102. Marleau is second all-time with assists as he only trails his former, and pretty much life time, teammate Joe Thornton. Marleau also has 195 post season games under his belt. Marleau has tallied 127 points in the post season which is nothing to sneeze at. Marleau has found the net 72 times while dishing out 55 assists and coming up big in the post season for San Jose. In his third stint with the San Jose Sharks this season, Marleau has skated mostly with the 4th line and has two assists so far this season. Marleau can still help this team on the ice but he is also a guy that help groom some of the younger guys at the same time.

Marleau for sure should be a first ballot Hall of Famer when his career is done. Being number 1 in games played in a full contact sport is a huge accomplishment. Plus, tallying up over 500 goals and 600 assists with over one thousand points are very good numbers. Marleau also holds the record for the most regular season games along with post-season games without a Stanley Cup championship. Marleau only made it to the Stanley Cup finals once, in 2016, when the San Jose Sharks were beat by the Pittsburgh Penguins. Marleau can be compared to Karl Malone of the NBA, another great in his sport without winning the entire thing. Marleau has worn the C on his jersey many of the years he skated as the team’s Captain, as he was born a leader. Throw in two gold metals skating with Canada in the Winter Olympics, Marleau helping his country prevail in some epic show downs. Marleau was a part of some awesome Sharks teams which came close but no cigar. At the end of a great career, whenever that is, Marleau will be standing tall and be in the same conversation as Hockey great Gordie Howe. That will be Howe is skates out for a Shark legend in my book.