Marleau officially announces his retirement
The Sharks legend played a record 1,779 regular-season games
SAN JOSE >> Patrick Marleau felt he could still play.
Early last summer after a disappointing final season with the Sharks, Marleau maintained his workout regimen and kept his focus, hoping another NHL team would call and give him an opportunity to play the game he's loved since he was a young child in tiny Aneroid, Saskatchewan.
“I was still training and hoping that something would come across, but obviously nothing did,” Marleau said. “I was still trying to keep ready and that was a tough balance.”
Marleau, 42, seemed at peace Tuesday, officially announcing his retirement following a 23-season professional career in which he became the NHL's all-time leader in games played, established himself as a Sharks legend, and built a resume that's worthy of a spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Marleau said he finalized his decision to formally announce his retirement last month.
“I knew it was I was going to retire a long time ago,” Marleau said. “But I finally built up enough courage to get up here and speak and announce my retirement.”
Marleau played an NHL-record 1,779 regular-season games and his marks of 566 goals and 1,197 points now rank 23rd and 50th, respectively, in league history.
Marleau, who was drafted second overall by the Sharks in 1997, is the franchise leader in several individual statistical categories, including games played (1,607), goals (522), and points (1,111). He also helped Team Canada win gold at the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics, the 2003 World Championships, and the 2004 World Cup.
Marleau's No. 12 jersey number will likely be raised to the rafters at SAP Center sometime next season, team president Jonathan
Becher said, symbolic of the impact Marleau has had on the organization.
“I can't describe what Patrick means to San Jose Sharks as an organization, to San Jose as a hockey community,” Becher said. “There's a reason we call him Mr. San Jose Shark. He's symbolized the franchise for 21 years. So when he was ready to retire, on his time, we wanted to make sure we did it right.”
Several hundred fans showed up at SAP Center on Tuesday morning for the announcement, as Marleau was joined on stage by Becher and interim general manager Joe Will.
Marleau thanked everyone in the Sharks organization, as several former teammates, along with trainers, and equipment personnel, attended the announcement. Other former teammates such as Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski, and Logan Couture offered recorded messages of congratulations.
“I don't think you'll ever understand the impact you made on me as a player, as a person. Just incredible,” Pavelski said. “Words won't ever describe it.”
“You did it when it mattered,” Thornton said. “You were loved by your teammates. We all love you so much. Enjoy retirement, my friend. You've earned it.”
Marleau said being away from the NHL has been “a lot harder than I thought it was going to be.”
“I think a lot of people sometimes say `Oh, yeah, everything's OK.' But it's been difficult.” Marleau said. “I mean, I've played this game pretty much all my life and love it, and I'm getting a whole new found respect for my wife and my family and all the things that they had to go through when I was gone, just the day-to-day.”
Marleau became emotional as he thanked his wife Christina, and their
sons Landon, Brody, Jagger, and Caleb for their support, especially in the last year when he wasn't on an NHL team.
“I want to thank you for all the sacrifices for the years and all the support you've given me,” Marleau said. “I couldn't have lived out my dream of being a professional hockey player and having a family at the same time if it wasn't for you guys. I love you and thank you.”
Marleau said there are no immediate plans to get back into professional hockey, adding that he's mainly been an assistant coach for his son's youth hockey teams.
“The next step is just spending some time with the family and coaching my kids,” Marleau said. “I don't know what the future will hold. My wife seems to think somewhere down the road, I'll be back in hockey somehow. So we'll see how it all plays out.”
Marleau spent 21 of his 23 NHL seasons with the Sharks, appeared in games over two seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs and skated in eight regularseason games with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2020. Marleau also had 72 goals and 55 assists in 195 career playoff games.
Tuesday morning, Marleau published a lengthy article in The Players' Tribune, a post titled, “Thank You, Hockey.”
“It's bittersweet for sure, but I have so much to look forward to,” Marleau wrote. “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. I am beyond lucky to have had the career I had, but I did not get here by myself.”
SHARKS GET 11TH PICK IN UPCOMING NHL DRAFT >>
The Sharks didn't have any luck with the NHL Draft Lottery on Tuesday.
The Sharks, who had a
3.0% chance of winning the lottery draw and earning the right to select first overall at the NHL Draft in July, did not improve their first round draft position and are slated to select 11th when the draft begins in Montreal on July 7.
The Sharks finished the regular season with the 11th-worst record in the NHL at 32-37-13. This will represent the 13th time that the Sharks have drafted inside the top 11. The last time the Sharks drafted at No. 11 was in 1994 when they selected forward Jeff Friesen.
There was a 79.9 percent chance that the Sharks were going to remain at the No. 11 spot, a 13.4 percent they would drop to 12th overall, and a 0.5 percent chance they would fall to 13th. There was also a 3.3 percent chance the Sharks would win the second lottery draw and draft No. 2 overall.
The Sharks had the seventh selection last year and drafted Swedish center William Eklund, who could be in the NHL as soon as next season.