In 34 games played for the Toronto Maple Leafs this season, Patrick Marleau has been what he always has been….“Mr. Consistent,”
The road to the NHL is a long and grueling task for a professional hockey player, although arguably the hardest part is consistently holding your spot in the league. The fact that Toronto Maple Leafs forward continues to lock down an important role at his age is incredible.
On Nov 26th 2018, Toronto Maple Leafs forward Patrick Marleau became the 11th player in NHL history to hit the 1600 games played milestone.
Since Marleau’s debut, there are only a select few players who have had a career as consistent as he has been. In a 7-2 Maple Leafs win against the New Jersey Devils Tuesday night, Marleau scored his 544th NHL goal; tying Maurice “The Rocket” Richard for 30th all-time in NHL goals scored.
The Beginning
Born in Aneroid, Saskatchewan, Patrick Marleau grew up on his family farm. At 14 years of age, Marleau played for the Swift Current Legionnaires of the SMHL. Marleau transitioned to the WHL at the age of 16, and in his rookie season he scored 74 points in 72 games with the Seattle Thunderbirds. Marleau would only need to play 2 seasons in the WHL, posting 51 goals and a remarkable 125 points in 71 games his sophomore season.
Patrick Marleau was selected 2nd Overall in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft by the San Jose Sharks. Patrick would score 13 goals and 32 points in 74 games his rookie season in the NHL, with the added bonus of 5 playoff games and 1 playoff point. In 5 of Marleau’s next 6 seasons in the NHL, he scored 20 goals or more; jump starting one of the most consistent careers the NHL would ever see.
The Stats
Through 21 seasons in the NHL, Patrick Marleau has been as consistent as players dream to be. In each of his past 2 seasons, Marleau has scored 27 goals and is on pace to score 20+ again this season…at the ripe age of 39. Known notoriously as a slow starter, Marleau seems to play at a pace that works for not only his style of game, but also his age.
Here are just a few of Patrick Marleau’s stats:
15 seasons with 20 or more goals (22nd all-time)
Consecutive Games Played- 740 (7th all-time)
Games Played *Regular Season*- 1609 (11th all-time)
Games Played *Playoffs*- 184 (30th all-time)
Playoff Goals- 72 (14th all-time)
Game Winning Goals *Regular Season*- 106 (7th all-time)
Game Winning Goals *Playoffs*- 16 (9th all-time)
After 34 games played last season, Patrick Marleau totaled 11G and 7A for 18PTS. This current season, Marleau has 9G and 10A for 19PTS in 34 games played. If there were any doubters that Marleau wasn’t going to produce another 20 goals, they are long gone. Marleau has once again quietly gone about his business as a top 9 forward and veteran leader for the young Toronto Maple Leafs group, making him worth every cent of his $6.25M cap hit.
What’s Next For Marleau?
There are only 4 active players left in the NHL who have played against Wayne Gretzky: Zdeno Chara, Matt Cullen, Joe Thornton, and Patrick Marleau. Simply put, Marleau has done it all during his 21 year career in the NHL…….except win a Stanley Cup.
The next step for Marleau is to help mentor this young Toronto Maple Leafs group as they continue to grow their game and push for what they hope to be a strong second half to the season, and a long playoff run this spring.
Statistics Provided By: Hockey Reference, NHL, Elite Prospects, NHL Records