7/28/2022 3:26:39 PM EST
The San Jose Sharks will retire Patrick Marleau's No. 12 jersey in an on-ice ceremony prior to the team's home game against the Chicago Blackhawks on Feb. 25, 2023.Marleau, the NHL's all-time games played leader, will become the first player in Sharks' franchise history to have his number retired. "As a little boy skating on a frozen pond, my dream was to play in the NHL," Marleau said in the team's news release. "Never could I have imagined the honor of my jersey hanging in the rafters above the very ice that I played so many of my NHL games on. I cannot begin to the describe the way I feel. "I am truly grateful and thankful for this recognition, but also for being able to play in front of the great San Jose Sharks fans for so long. I'll miss doing so for the rest of my life. Thank you to the Sharks organization, my teammates throughout my career, and especially the fans for this honor of a lifetime."Marleau, 42, retired on May 10 after playing 1,779 games, from 1997 to 2021. He didn't play in the 2021-22 season.Marleau played 1,607 of those games for the Sharks, who selected the Saskatchewan native with the No. 2 overall pick in the 1997 NHL Draft. The three-time All-Star is the franchise leader in a number of statistical categories, including goals (522), points (1,111) and game-winning goals (101)."It is only fitting that the first San Jose Sharks player to receive the ultimate franchise recognition of having his number retired is Mr. San Jose Shark himself, Patrick Marleau," Sharks president Jonathan Becher said. "Patty symbolizes the Sharks franchise as much as our famous jersey crest and the color teal. We look forward to celebrating his amazing NHL legacy with Patrick's family, friends and his legions of fans, many of whom were in the arena when Patrick first stepped on the ice in San Jose in 1997."Marleau, a center, had 1,197 points (566 goals, 631 assists) with the Sharks (1997-2017, 2020-21), Toronto Maple Leafs (2017-10) and Pittsburgh Penguins (2020). He also had 72 goals and 55 assists in 195 career playoff games, which included a run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2016.--Field Level Media
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