MR. RELIABLE
Patrick Marleau's consistency is why he's about to pass Howe for most games played
Every coach has loved him. The biggest thing about Patty is he never misses a workout. He's always trying to get stronger, faster. Evgeni Nabokov, a former teammate and part of the Sharks coaching staff, on Patrick Marleau
It was during one of Darryl Sutter's infamous bag skates that Mike Ricci was first introduced to Patrick Marleau.
Or rather, Ricci was introduced to the back of Marleau's jersey.
“I remember watching him in practice and thinking, `Man, this guy can skate,'” said Ricci, who was traded to San Jose during Marleau's rookie year and is now an assistant coach with the Sharks. “It stuck out. I knew right then and there that I didn't want to do any of Darryl's bag-skating drills with him in my group. Once I got to know him, I made sure to tell him to slow `er down.
“He can skate for days and days and days.”
Years and years, it turns out.
Marleau, who tied Gordie Howe's NHL record by playing in his 1,767th game on Saturday, will take sole ownership of the seemingly unbreakable record when the Sharks play the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday night.
It's a remarkable achievement for a somewhat unremarkable superstar.
“When you get recognized like that, not only your team standing up for you but the other building's fans cheering for you, the other team doing it, it hits home,” Marleau said of the reception he received on Saturday, in which every member of the Minnesota Wild shook his hand following the 5-2 loss.
“It's definitely humbling for them to show their support for me.”
Like Howe, Marleau is a Saskatchewan native. But that's where the comparisons between Mr. Hockey and a player who might be known as Mr. Reliable begin and end.
Marleau's career is not defined by Stanley Cups or scoring titles or being among the best who have ever played the game. He s never scored 50 goals. He's never finished in the top-10 in points. He's never won an individual award or even been a finalist.
Instead, his enduring characteristic has been his enduring consistency.
The teams that Marleau has played for know what they are going to get with him. And it isn't flashy. Marleau is not going to wow you with his jaw-dropping moves. You can probably count on one hand the number of highlight-reel goals he has scored over his career. But you can count on him to consistently contribute.
In his fourth season in the league, Marleau scored 25 goals. Three years ago, he had 27. It was the 13th time he scored 25 goals or more.
The consistency doesn't stop there.
Marleau doesn't take many nights off. He didn't miss a game in 12 of his previous 22 seasons. Three other years, he played in 81 games. This year, he has appeared in every single one of San Jose's games.
“I always say that's what a true pro is,” said Evgeni Nabokov, another former teammate who is now part of the Sharks' coaching staff. “He was able to maintain that his whole career. Some guys are able to maintain that for three or four years, but Patty has been like this for his whole career.”
A second-overall pick of the Sharks in 1997, Marleau broke into the league 16 days after celebrating his 18th birthday — the youngest player in the past 76 years to make his NHL debut. Twenty-four years later, the thing that got him into the league at such a young age is what's keeping him around as he battles against Father Time.
Marleau, who does not score as much as he used to, is still playing because he can still keep up and because he can still help.
“Every coach has loved him,” said Nabokov. “The biggest thing about Patty is he never misses a workout. He's always trying to get stronger, faster. If you watch the diet and this and that, it's never stopped. I think it helped him stay in the game for this long.”
There is a certain amount of luck where longevity is concerned. In order to play a lot, you have to avoid injury. But staying in the league is more than just about staying healthy. You have to contribute.
Marleau has scored 30 or more goals seven times. He's put up 70 or more points six times. He ranks 23rd all-time with 566 goals and he is 50th on the all-time scoring list with 1,196 points. But it's worth noting that Mike Bossy, who sits just above him on the all-time list for goals, has played 1,000 fewer games.
Is Marleau a future Hall of Famer? That's a tough question to ask of a player who has spent most of his career living in relative anonymity in San Jose. Also hurting him is that he has never been a top-5 player in the league.
His best year was in 200910, when he ranked fourth in the Rocket Richard Trophy race with 44 goals and was 14th with 83 points. Another time, he ranked 19th in scoring with 86 points in 2005-06.
“There's always going to be people who don't see it for what it is, but numbers like that stand out,” said Ricci. “They stand out above everything. Everyone has an opinion, but the numbers are great.”
And, if Marleau can keep playing, they could be getting better.
“I used to joke around with him that you could play until your 60,” said Ricci. “I'd be joking, but I might not have been that far off. I'm just really, really happy for him. It's a record that's going to be tough to beat for anybody.”