Grizzled, but glowing strong
Marleau and Thornton stand to peers as examples of how players survive the test of time
Thornton-Kadri II was the preoccupation when San Jose veteran Joe Thornton took a couple of questions from the media at the morning skate Wednesday.
That would be the expectation of a Thornton-Nazem Kadri scrap in the Leafs-Sharks game later that night. But Thornton wasn’t about to turn the pregame skate into something resembling a Conor McGregor weigh-in for a UFC bout.
Instead, Thornton took the high road. At 39, and with a presence bolstered by 21 seasons in the NHL, Thornton is surrounded by respect. He doesn’t need to pipe up hockey fights.
The St. Thomas, Ont., native is one of the NHL’s two leaders in games played by active players. He trails only Leafs winger and former teammate Patrick Marleau. Together, the two have appeared in more than 3,000 games —1,601 for Marleau, 1,510 for Thornton.
“He’s a machine,” Thornton said of Marleau’s 1,600 milestone reached Monday. “He’s a great friend of mine, and to join 11 others who have done it (reach1,600 games) … and without those lockouts (in 2004-05 and 2012-13), it’d be higher. He takes care of himself, year in and year out, he’s a real pro.”
Thornton and Marleau’s friendship goes back almost two decades, after they spent 13 seasons as teammates in San Jose. They are examples to all players of what’s possible if you combine talent with preparation.
For Marleau, the fact he’s also on a tremendous, consecutive games played streak, only further reflects how “professional” he is when it comes to dedication to his body and his craft.
He has played 743 consecutive games, the second-longest active streak in the NHL, three shy of Keith Yandle of the Florida Panthers.
That active ironman club has seen some shuffling of late — a two-game suspension last January halted Anaheim’s Andrew Cogliano at 830 games. Jay Bouwmeester was a healthy scratch a couple of weeks ago, which halted him at 737 games.
Former Leaf Phil Kessel is at 715 games, a detail for which he receives relatively little kudos for.
Doug Jarvis holds the overall record for consecutive games played at 964 over 13 seasons.
As they soldier on in their careers, Marleau and Thornton are glowing examples to younger and older players alike.
Leafs winger Tyler Ennis, who has played 514 NHL games, is full of respect for what Thornton and Marleau have accomplished. Neither one of them has won a Stanley Cup. Former Leafs star Steve Thomas once reflected that there are two kinds of players in the NHL — those who have won the Cup, and those who haven’t.
Some of the league’s top players have retired without ever drinking from the Cup.
It was a topic upon retirements for superstars such as Mats Sundin, and Henrik and Daniel Sedin (Ray Bourque played more than 1,500 games with Boston before a trade to Colorado resulted in a Cup win in 2001).
Of the 15 active NHLers with the most games played, seven have not won a Cup.
Ennis understands the gravity of the subject, and how it can be conversational, and even emotional.
But Ennis is undying in his respect for Marleau.
“When I first came into the league (2009 with the Sabres), I was in the playoffs, and for the first couple of years, the guys (with the Sabres) were always saying you have to give it everything you got because it’s not easy getting here (playoffs),” Ennis said.
“When I got (traded) to Minnesota last year, we made the playoffs and it was my first taste in six years. That’s what makes it so exciting, to win a Cup, because it’s so hard to do. But what Patty’s done is something only a very few players have done (play 1,600 games). He still skates like a teenager . . . it’s an unbelievable accomplishment.”