[News] Marleau ties record for most games played in NHL history set by Howe

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Patrick Marleau can pass Gordie Howe for the most NHL games played when the San Jose Sharks forward plays No. 1,768 at the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday. "I'll try to take it all in as much as possible," Marleau said Saturday after playing game 1,767. "The fun part is playing an actual game and all that, but my family's going to be there to help celebrate, so it'll be super special having them in the building." San Jose lost 5-2 at the Minnesota Wild on Saturday when the 41-year-old forward tied Howe. "Monday there's going to be two separate feelings: It's going to be the honor of being in a game and watching Patty set history, and the other part is, let's play well with him and be proud of ourselves in the way we play," San Jose coach Bob Boughner said. "For me, that's the biggest thing right now. If we play our game, if we play well, we give ourselves a chance to win. That's what we intend to do on Monday for that big night and hopefully cap it off for Patty and his family the right way." Marleau is in his 23rd NHL season and has played 1,595 games in 21 seasons with the Sharks, including 44 this season to extend his streak of consecutive regular-season games to 898, fourth-longest in NHL history. The native of Aneroid, Saskatchewan, also played 164 games in two seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs (2017-19) and eight games with the Pittsburgh Penguins last season. "I'm looking at it as an opportunity to thank everybody who's helped me along the way, because there's no way you get to play in this league or play this long without a huge support system," Marleau told "Hockey Night in Canada." "Definitely my family, growing up, my parents, my brother and sister, all the sacrifices they make, and my immediate family now with my wife and kids. ... "Coaching staffs, training staff, teammates, chiropractors, massage therapists, I mean, everybody that I've come into contact and become friends with or who helped me along, I extremely want to thank them for all their support." Howe has held the NHL record for regular-season games played since Nov. 26, 1961, when he surpassed Ted Lindsay and became the first player to reach 1,000 games. Howe played 1,687 games in 25 seasons with the Detroit Red Wings before retiring in 1971. After coming out of retirement in 1973 to play 419 games in six seasons in the World Hockey Association for Houston and New England, Howe returned to the NHL for one season after New England joined the NHL as the Hartford Whalers in 1979. Howe played 80 games for the Whalers in 1979-80 before retiring again. A native of Floral, Saskatchewan, Howe played his final regular-season game against the Red Wings on April 6, 1980, at 52 years old. He was 88 when he died June 10, 2016. "First, I was so happy to hear that our group stayed out, the entire team shook his hand after the game," Minnesota coach Dean Evason said. "I understand it was initiated by [Ryan Suter]. I think that is such a classy thing for our group to do, and then we talked about it after the game in the coaches room that anytime your name can even be mentioned in the same sentence as Gordie Howe, it's very, very special, and what he's done for as long as he's done it and how he's played the game, not on the perimeter, just in the dirty areas. I don't know him personally, but everything you hear it's how team-first he is. It's a wonderful accomplishment." Howe is second in NHL history with 801 goals (Wayne Gretzky, 894) and fourth in points with 1,850. Marleau is 23rd in goals (566) and 50th in points (1,196). "Gordie, growing up, looking at hockey cards, looking at statistics, first things first, I always go see all the Saskatchewan players who grew up there and made the NHL, because that's where I was, and that's where I was trying to go, and obviously he was top of the list," Marleau said. Selected by San Jose with the No. 2 pick in the 1997 NHL Draft, Marleau made his NHL debut 16 days after his 18th birthday, Oct. 1, 1997, against the Edmonton Oilers. He is the youngest player to make his NHL debut since Hy Buller played at 17 years, 267 days with the Red Wings on Dec. 7, 1943. After playing 1,493 games in 19 seasons with the Sharks, Marleau signed a three-year contract with the Maple Leafs as an unrestricted free agent July 2, 2017. Marleau was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes on June 22, 2019, and had the final season of his contact bought out without playing a game for the Hurricanes. "One of the most respected guys in the League," Minnesota forward Zach Parise said. "I don't know if that's a record that's going to be broken again. At least it's going to be there for a long time. You have to have a lot of things go right, a lot of things go your way with your health. When you think about it, that many games, and unfortunately he's gone through two lockouts. He could be at 2,000 now. It's an incredible number." Marleau returned to San Jose to play 58 games last season before being traded to Pittsburgh on Feb. 24, 2020. He became an unrestricted free agent and signed a one-year contract with the Sharks on Oct. 13. "It's incredible being around Patty for a bit and seeing all the work he's put in getting to this point where he's beating that kind of record," San Jose forward Timo Meier said. "It's obviously incredible for him, but all the teammates are incredibly proud, and we're really honored to be on the same team and witness that record." Marleau has played in four decades: 196 games in the 1990s, 716 in the 2000s, 782 in the 2010s and 73 in the 2020s. Maple Leafs forward Joe Thornton (173 games) and Washington Capitals defenseman Zdeno Chara (119) are the other active players to play in the NHL during the 1990s. "He's the greatest Shark to ever wear the Shark jersey," San Jose defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic said. "Great teammate, 500-plus goals, has the records for longest games played. He's done it all for the San Jose Sharks, and that's why when you say 'San Jose Sharks' the first player that comes to mind is Patrick Marleau." Howe is the only player in to play in the NHL in five decades: 191 games in the 1940s, 690 in the 1950s, 701 in the 1960s, 139 in the 1970s and 46 in the 1980s. "That was pretty special," San Jose forward Kevin Labanc said. "I mean, I'm so happy for him. He's so classy, I'm congratulating him and his whole family. You think about how many games, to play that long, it's incredible, and he's a great player. It couldn't happen to a better person, and we're all looking forward to the next game when he passes Gordie Howe's record." NHL.com staff writers Tom Gulitti and Tracey Myers and independent correspondent Jessi Pierce contributed to this report