Back in 1997, DVD players were all the rage. Brand new technology was not cheap. At around $ 1,000 a pop, Kelly Hruday thought it was a bit expensive for her liking. But at Christmas that year, he was gifted a “game-changer” he had coined – two DVDs (one was of a Fleetwood Mac concert) – by a man who lived in his guest house.
The man was Patrick Marlu.
Now, after more than 23 years, the 18-year-old child would sit and eat with Kelly and his wife Donna from 2 to 3, or 4 a.m., with sandwiches, chatting about the game, or how things were progressing. Just life is set to become the NHL’s all-time leader in sports. When Marleyau’s skates hit the ice in his first inning for the Sharks on Monday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Vegas against the Golden Knights, it would be NHL career game number 1,768 – better than Mr. Hockey, Gordon Howe. .
Before the game, Marlu would pull on the shark sweater he had known for 1,595 of those games. (He also played eight games for the Penguins and 164 for the Maple Leafs.) He was second drafted by the Sharks as a 17-year-old in June 1997, before many, many moons. The Seattle Thunderbirds Sentman, who was replaced on September 18, joined a rebuilding team that was just entering its seventh year of existence.
“After the draft, Dean [Lombardi, then the Sharks’ general manager] Some of us made a point of telling the old players: ‘Hey, I got this little kid. We love him. He is coming from a real good family, but he is a young kid and needs the help of your friends, “recalled Tony Granato, who was about to begin his 10th NHL season when Marlu made his first trip Was ready for
“And then he came, just a charming, savory kid and he was calm and shy and respectful. He had a light smile and a smile on his face that he still has. As an older player, with a young man like that It was real fun to do. You can tell that he had a lot of skill and was going to be a big success in the game. “
Was a success. Three All-Star games, 566 goals (23rd all-time), 1,196 points, a trip to the 2016 Stanley Cup Finals, his name filling the Sharks record book and now, best wishes to Howe for the most NHL games. It was a record many people never expected to fall; Ultimately, Howe played until he finished 52 in 26 NHL seasons (sprinkled with a few seasons in the WHA).
While those who knew Marloo, now 41, may be surprised by the jump that the record is falling, they are not shocked by what the child made of aneroid, Sask. It was not easy to find out about the young man before training camp – you, it was 1997 and like that DVD player, the internet was still new – his peers increasingly noticed what made Lombardi so excited.
“I remember we were in a drill. . . Whirlis recently said during an interview with Sporting News, “Over the drill, and I went to the bench to drink water.” “Tony [Granato] Comes over me and, remember, Tony and I had known each other for many years as we both played together in LA for a long time. . . He comes to me and says something like, ‘Oh, wow, Kelly, I can’t believe this Marloo’s kid,’ and Tony was a good skater, but he says something like, ‘I’m trying everything I can I am with whom I can keep. It’s tough for me, but in Patrick, it looks effortless. ”
Granato did not recall that specific moment during a phone chat with Sporting News, but followed it around by recalling who was 15 years old and thinking to himself, “Holy cow.”
Mike Rikki was traded to the Sharks in November 1997 and not much was known about the sober Sasky kid. Lombardi was quick to point out Marleau, calling him a big, skilled man he loved with a great character. Rikki said the analysis was a blast.
“Daryl [Sutter] Used to match lines for a three-lap drill and every time I matched up with his line I would go to Patty and say, ‘Hey, Patty (whistle), take it easy, “And he will take it easy, but still I was cheating to keep it up,” said Rikki, now a development coach with the Sharks. “He was a spontaneous skater from day one and that could be the one thing he was blessed with. But being a natural skater and being in tip-top physical condition and after preparing yourself and working hard on ice and on ice, these are the results you will get. “
The results did not come immediately for Marleau. It was not until his eighth game that he collected his first NHL goal, three games after his first NHL point. His first NHL game was on October 1, 1997, against an Oilers squad, which included Kelly Butchberger, Hall of Famer Kevin Lowe, Doug Weight and goalscorer Curtis Joseph. Although, if you ask Marleau, he remembers Brian Marchant – who tried to kill him in his first inning.
“The only thing I remember [first game] Was he so calm and relaxed, never stunned, ”Granato reminded, noting Marlo wore them again after 14 years. Ron Sutter sported 12 and Marlow snatched the coveted points after Sutter left for Calgary in February 2001. “Never got too much wound, just you know, okay, tonight’s the first game. It’s a big deal, but I’m just going to go out and play, and I just think it was so good that Used to force himself not to get injured too much. “
Stability. mental toughness. Physical Preparation. Good Gene. Much has gone into Marleau setting this record. He has played 8 consecutive games (fourth-longest in NHL history) in 6 consecutive games starting in April 2009, and has missed just 31 games in his NHL career. Marloo credited training staff, massage therapists, chiropractors and an IV bag when he had the flu.
“I think he has a remarkable career, like Patrick, I still think he’s underestimated,” said Herde, who also says some of his favorite hockey memories are of the days when Marloo went from his family. Used to live together. “I don’t think the general hockey fan really appreciates how consistently good he has been throughout his career.”
Before he started losing his skates for his first NHL game. Both Granato and Darryl Sutter were quick to tell that they were impressed with Marleau in the exhibition games – Granato especially helped him achieve his first professional goal in a game against San Diego at just 17 years old in San Diego Remembered for
“Two things about him that are his natural ability are – it’s not that he has to work big or strong or work too much; When he came he was a big, strong kid – [and] He was a great skater, “recalled Sutter, who ran the Shark bench for the first 420 games of Marloo’s career (his first season in San Jose was also 1997–98).
“When you combine them, people are usually healthy. There are people who get fed up and do not take care of themselves and their careers do not last long. But Patrick had a long, successful career because of those natural things and then taking care of himself. Kudos to him. He is a really good person and a really good player. “
Asked on a recent zoom call with reporters about what he wanted his legacy to be, Marleau replied that he wanted him to work hard, give his all, and was a good teammate. Well, when you talk to your former friends and bench boss, they will say that he definitely was.
“He respected the game. He respected the people in the game, “Granato said, adding a kid would be like walking around on the road with veterans.” You know, the younger he was, [he] Was too mature to act as a teammate. For her peers too, it was easy to fall in love with a child like this and she wanted him to do well. “
There is no timetable when Marleau will officially hang them. He asked to chase the Stanley Cup on a zoom call, which he likes and will try to keep going as long as he can.
So maybe Rikki had it all right?
“I remember we used to joke,” he said with a smile. “I used to tell him all the time, you could play for 60 years. And obviously I was exaggerating a little bit, but maybe I wasn’t exaggerating as much as I thought.”
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