Patrick Marleau's tireless pursuit of the Stanley Cup brought him to the Penguins

Games define Patrick Marleau’s marvelous NHL existence. Specifically, he’s played a lot of them through various contexts.

He’s fifth in NHL history with 1,723 career regular-season games, barely half a season behind the all-time leader, Gordie Howe at 1,767.

And with an active run of 854 straight regular-season games, he has the NHL’s fifth-longest consecutive games streak all-time.

There’s another figure that tells his story.

With 1,914 combined regular-season and postseason games, Marleau holds the NHL mark for most total games played without a Stanley Cup victory.

And at 40, he might have his best chance to get off that list.

That’s why, despite having a resume worthy of the Hockey Hall of Fame, he re-signed with the San Jose Sharks to a two-way contract worth a league-minimum $700,000 in October.

When the Sharks’ season sank out of playoff contention, San Jose management opted to send their franchise icon to the Penguins at the trade deadline in February, receiving a conditional draft pick in the process.

“There’s no denying that we didn’t have the year that we wanted to after going to the (Western) Conference final the previous season,” Sharks general manager Doug Wilson told the Tribune-Review. “In those situations, you have to be realistic and do what’s in the best interest of the organization. Pittsburgh really wanted Patty at the deadline, so it was a natural fit to put him in a position to have that chance, while also acquiring a really good asset for our club that can be used in a number of ways.”

Marleau boosted the Sharks in just about every way a player can boost a franchise, minus a Stanley Cup championship.

The No. 2 overall pick in the 1997 draft, which was staged at the Civic Arena, Marleau helped the Sharks grow out of their awkward expansion years from the early 1990s into a nearly year contender for the Stanley Cup.

From the early days of the “dead puck” era, when goals were hard to find, to the hiccup-quick “new NHL,” when rule changes promoted offense and skill, the Sharks were one of the NHL’s steadiest organizations.

In the first 19 seasons Marleau spent with San Jose (1997-2017), the Sharks reached the postseason 17 times.

During that time, Marleau whose name is listed in the Sharks’ media guide 349 times, became the face of the franchise.

“On the ice, Patty holds nearly every record in Sharks franchise history and has established himself as one of the top players our game has ever seen,” Wilson said. “Off the ice, Patrick is a long-standing member of our local community and he and his family have made their permanent home in San Jose. He is one of the few players that when you see that Sharks logo, he immediately comes to mind. You can’t tell the story of the San Jose Sharks without spending a considerable amount of time talking about Patrick Marleau.”

But the Sharks never won the Stanley Cup. Their best opportunity to do so came in 2015-16 when they reached the franchise’s only Stanley Cup Final, only to lose to the Penguins in six games.

After the Sharks fell short once again in the 2017 postseason, Marleau made a difficult decision to leave San Jose and signed as a free agent with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Joining a team with the likes of young stars such as forward Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, Marleau served as a mentor for several of his younger teammates. It was hoped that blend of youth and experience could push the Maple Leafs to their first Stanley Cup title since 1967.

But after two consecutive unappetizing first-round exits, Marleau was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2019 offseason. After Carolina bought out the last year of his contract, he was free to rejoin the Sharks on a two-way contract, which he did not sign until Oct. 9, a few days into the start of the regular season.

“Patty was very transparent about wanting to come back to San Jose and we were transparent with him in that we had promised some of our younger players an opportunity to compete for jobs,” Wilson said. “Even before the regular season started, we ran into a series of issues with injuries, suspensions and other circumstances that were forcing us to put some of those younger players in roles that weren’t fair to them.

“Patrick, his agent and myself kept in communication throughout the early part of the year and I told them that if we got into a situation where we were looking for some veteran help, they would be my first call. That’s how things ended up working out and then he goes out and scores two goals in his first game back in Chicago.”

In a 5-4 road win against the Blackhawks on Oct. 10, Marleau scored twice.

By the start of December, Marleau and the Sharks were in position to return to the postseason as they were in third place of the Pacific Division. But a 2-9-2 stretch during the month all but ended their postseason hopes. By the time the trade deadline rolled around Feb. 24, they were struggling to stay out of last place.

That reality brought him to Pittsburgh. In eight games before the NHL halted play due to the coronavirus, he primarily played on the left wing of center Evgeni Malkin’s line and contributed two points (one goal, one assist).

Four months after the Penguins’ last game, he’s been working out during the team’s training camp at its facility in Cranberry on the left wing of the third line, with center Jared McCann, who grew up a fan of Marleau.

“I went to a game in Arizona,” said McCann, 24. “Patrick, he was playing for the Sharks at the time and they were playing the Coyotes. … I was really young and kind of starstruck. I remember I met (Sharks forward) Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau and Patty signed a puck for me.

“He’s definitely a guy that I looked up to. He signed a puck for me when I was 12. It’s pretty cool to be on his line right now.”

But what does Marleau still offer as a linemate right now at age 40?

“He can do everything for us,” McCann said. “He can score goals, he has shown he can do that. He can play well defensively. He’s a big body who goes to the net and gets to those dirty areas.”

“He’s a guy that brings a ton of versatility to our team,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “He can really skate. He brings size. He helps us on the penalty kill. We can utilize him in power-play situations. I can move him up and down the lineup. If I need to play him in the top-six (forwards), he capable of playing there. He’s a real versatile guy for us. He just adds more depth and dimension to our team.

“We’re thrilled to have him. He’s really been a great addition to our team and I know how excited he is to compete for the Stanley Cup.”

Unlike with the Sharks, for whom he served as a captain over five years, Marleau doesn’t need to be a franchise player. The Penguins already have a handful of those in place.

But even on a team with a couple of future Hockey Hall of Famers and All-Stars with several Stanley Cup rings, Marleau carries a heightened stature in the Penguins’ dressing room.

“Obviously a guy with all the experience he has, the respect that he earned throughout his career, it’s a big presence in our locker room,” said defenseman Kris Letang, 33. “Our young guys or even guys my age look up to Pat. He’s a tremendous player but also a great teammate. Any guys in our room can actually watch him on and off the ice and learn tons of things.”

“Patty has a true love for the game and a knowledge about how to be a pro,” Wilson said. “You see the impact he had briefly in Toronto on some of their younger players and he did the same thing here. He keeps himself in amazing shape and he’s willing to play up and down the line-up to do whatever the team needs. It’s rare to see someone who has played as many games as Patty not only take that approach but still have the ability to perform in those various roles.”

There’s one more role Marleau would like to claim.

Stanley Cup champion.

“I still love the game,” Marleau said. “Still want to play. Still want to win the Cup. This is a great opportunity for myself and Pittsburgh to put some hard work in here and see where it leads us. Hopefully, it’s with us winning here at the end.”

“That’s the goal. That’s always been the goal throughout my whole career.”

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