Marleau returns to the Shark Tank
Star hits ice in Maple Leafs jersey after 19 years as face of San Jose’s franchise
SAN JOSE, CALIF. Patrick Marleau woke up in his own home in San Jose and drove to the rink to prepare for a hockey game just like he has done countless times during his stellar career.
This night will be different than any of those others as Marleau will be the opponent in the Shark Tank for the first time in his career Monday when he returns to the arena he starred in for 19 seasons.
The differences became apparent when Marleau arrived for the morning skate and turned right to head to the visitors’ dressing room rather than his customary left turn to go to the Sharks’ room. It will only heighten when he squares off against his former teammates following a pre-game ceremony that will include a video tribute, a loud ovation and possibly some tears.
“I’m going to try my best at having a good poker face out there,” Marleau said after the morning skate. “There’s going to be a lot of emotions, that’s for sure.”
Marleau left as a free agent this summer when Toronto gave him an $18.75 million, three-year deal while the Sharks were unwilling to go past two years. He has four goals and three assists in his first 11 games with the Leafs.
Marleau watched scores of teammates come and go during his two decades in San Jose and now has a greater appreciation for what that is like after changing teams for the first time in his career. His wife, Christina, and four sons who were all born during his time in San Jose also made the move but came back for this trip.
“You always knew for players changing teams and families that obviously it could be hard. But until you go through it, you don’t know how hard it is and what those guys are going through away from the rink,” he said. “Just having a taste of that you get a better respect for guys having to do that during the season.”
Marleau has watched many teammates over the years have homecomings and one that stood out was when Joe Thornton returned to Boston less than two months after being traded to San Jose. Less than six minutes into the game, Thornton was ejected for checking Hal Gill from behind.
“I’ll try not to do that,” Marleau said.
Marleau will always be remembered as a Shark, the team he joined after being drafted second overall in 1997 as an 18-year-old from a small town in Saskatchewan.
With a low-key demeanour, quiet voice and blazing speed, Marleau developed into one of the top players in the league in his 19 seasons in San Jose. Marleau left as San Jose’s all-time leader in games played (1,493), goals (508) and points (1,082). Only six players in NHL history have played more games for one team than Marleau did with the Sharks.
“He’s Mr. Shark. He always will be,” Sharks defenceman MarcEdouard Vlasic said. “Nobody will ever pass him. I always thought there’ll be one number retired in the organization and it’ll be No. 12.”
Marleau helped the team reach the Western Conference finals in 2004, ’10 and ’11 and then was a key part of the franchise’s only trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 2016 when the Sharks lost in six games to Pittsburgh.