Patrick Marleau Closing Down on 1000 Points

In 1997, at the age of eighteen, Patrick Marleau was the second pick of the NHL draft. That first season he scored thirty-two points in the seventy-four games that he played. Now at the age of thirty-six, Marleau has acquired two Olympic gold medals and has been playing with the San Jose Sharks for eighteen seasons.

Marleau and the team both agree that their main goal is winning their first Stanley Cup. The Cup will have to wait for now because Marleau’s next accomplishment is quickly coming within his grasp and that is reaching 1,000 points.

"As a kid, you grow up, you want to be one of those players," Marleau told reporters. "You dream about doing things like that. So it's nice to be able to say that you're one of those guys."

Only eighty-two players in the NHL have ever reached 1,000 points and Marleau is close to meeting that number. All of his points have been amassed with the Sharks. Marleau hasn’t missed a game since the second season of his career.

A key player, Marleau has set many records in San Jose. He has played the most games with the team, 1,341, scored the most goals (459), and scored the most game-winning goals (88) for the Sharks.

Marleau has also scored the most points (996 to be exact) of any of the players on the team. So far in the twelve games played this season he has already scored three goals and added eight points to his total. After eighteen years with the Sharks, he is still the team’s fastest player.

Marleau has indicated that he has no intention of retiring any time soon. He still has his eye on winning the Stanley Cup at least once in his decorated career. Marleau has plenty to celebrate off the ice, as well. He met his wife in San Jose and together they have four sons ages nine, six, four and eleven months. His two oldest boys are already playing hockey for youth leagues in the area. Now, with just four points to go before receiving the coveted honor, both Marleau and his family couldn’t be more excited.