The Penguins don’t exactly reminisce about the Patrick Marleau years in Pittsburgh.

Especially since they lasted all of 12 games.

At the trade deadline in February of 2020, the Penguins acquired Marleau from the San Jose Sharks in hopes he could aid a team already full of franchise players in a supplemental role to pursue a Stanley Cup title.

The idea was sound. Marleau had never won the championship and presumably, his 40-something-year-old legs would get a jolt with the promise of chasing a Stanley Cup ring as a rental acquisition.

A global pandemic and some stout defense by the Montreal Canadiens derailed those hopes as the Penguins fell in the qualifying round of the NHL’s postseason tournament in August. This past offseason, Marleau returned to the Sharks as an unrestricted free agent.

While Marleau’s tenure with the Penguins was unappetizing for all involved, he still commands ample respect among those in the organization, particularly after he became the NHL’s all-time leader in regular season games on Monday.

Suiting up for the Sharks in a 3-2 road shootout loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, Marleau appeared in his 1,768th career regular season game, breaking a tie he shared for a few days with someone by the name of Gordie Howe.

One of the greatest players in the history of the game, Howe had held the mark for most career regular season games for over 59 years.

“(Marleau) built a legacy that is so impressive,” coach Mike Sullivan said via video conference. “He’s one of the better players of his generation. The fact that he’s played the most games in the history of the league I think is an indication of his character and passion for the game. He loves to be around the rink, he loves to be around his teammates, he loves to play the game. You don’t play as many games as he has if you don’t have a passion for the game. That was my observation in my time that we had Patty here with our team. I couldn’t be happier for him and his family. He’s really a high-quality person. His body of work speaks for itself.”

Selected No. 2 overall by the Sharks in the 1997 NHL Draft that was staged in the Civic Arena, Marleau, now 41, dressed for eight regular season games with the Penguins and recorded two points (one goal, one assist).

“I know his teammates here in Pittsburgh, his coaching staff here in Pittsburgh just have so much respect for what he’s been able to accomplish,” Sullivan said. “I think he was an inspiration for our group when he was here. That’s been my experience of coaching him. But we couldn’t be happier for him. It’s a great compliment to him. It’s just one more accolade to the legacy that he’s built here in this league.”

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