LAS VEGAS – Patrick Marleau has’ Mr. Hockey ‘surpassed for most games played in NHL history.
Marleau scaled in his 1,768th career game to break Gordie Howe’s record when the San Jose Sharks took on the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday night.
Though it was underway, an exuberant pro-Golden Knights crowd gave Marleau an exciting reception during warm-up.
GOLDEN RIDERS TOP END TO BIND TO ABOVE SECTION
Marleau’s wife, Christina, and four sons were there, which would not be possible in San Jose, where fans are still not allowed during the pandemic.
“My wife, I could not have done it all these years without her,” an emotional Marleau said before San Jose’s morning skate. “She’s my biggest supporter. I can not thank her enough and the boys not enough.
San Jose Sharks center Patrick Marleau (12) waves to the crowd during a small ceremony to celebrate his passing Gordie Howe for most NHL games played in the first period of an NHL hockey game on Monday, April 19, 2021 Las Vegas was played. (AP Photo / John Locher)
“My biggest fear is that I’m not thanking everyone, that I’m going to miss someone. If I miss someone, I’m so sorry, but I will eventually, you know, try to make it right and thank everyone who needs to be thanked. “Just very grateful.”
During his career, the 41-year-old Marleau played 1,596 games with the Sharks, 164 with the Toronto Maple Leafs and an additional eight as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Courts have played in 1,677 games in the regular season and 419 more in the World Hockey Association, the latter of which is not recognized by the NHL.
“I feel very lucky to have a front seat for that,” said Golden Knights coach Peter DeBoer, who coached Marleau for two plus seasons in San Jose. “I feel happy to know that the man and the athlete coached him. He was a gentleman. He was a great teammate. That would be one of the things I would be able to tell my grandchildren in one day, what not only did I coach him, but I was there for that night, a very special achievement. ‘
During his nearly quarter-century career, Marleau scored 566 goals, 1,196 points, three All-Star appearances and two Olympic gold medals for Canada in 2010 and ’14.
CANUCKS TOP PAGES 3-2 IN OT IN BACK OF PURCHASE
The respect Marleau has shown throughout his career is evident from the remarks of several Golden Knights, San Jose’s main rival since Vegas entered the league in 2017. Marc-Andre Fleury and captain Mark Stone praised Marleau for his endurance through two eras hockey, one where players were very physical at the start of his career, to the current state of the NHL, where skaters are faster and conditioned for a more tempo style.
“It’s a little bit incredible,” Fleury said. It was no stranger to milestones after beating Hall of Famer Ed Belfour for fourth place on the NHL’s winning list last Wednesday.
“He was so consistent throughout his career. He was an ironman. Didn’t get hurt for long periods. Every year he was also always a very good player. To hang in there for so long and play so many games, that is “He is a man who is highly respected in the league.”
San Jose Sharks center Patrick Marleau, 12, will play the Vegas Golden Knights during the first period of an NHL hockey game on Monday, April 19, 2021 in Las Vegas. (AP Photo / John Locher)
Marleau – who played through flu, numerous injuries and once rented a plane to play with his teammates in Nashville in 2009 after the birth of one of his sons – has played in his 899th consecutive game since he last once missed a match. he was 29.
“You go fight day in and day out with these guys, you play against them, and they know the agility and know what it takes to play in this league,” an emotional Marleau said. “It is very humble that they show their respect and have all these kind words.”
If nothing is extraordinary, Marleau will play his 900th consecutive game in Las Vegas on Wednesday, becoming the fourth player ever to reach the point.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
“As much as you hate your opponent, just as much as you want to beat your opponent, you still respect your opponent,” Stone said.
Until Marleau’s milestone moment just outside the Las Vegas Strip, no one could reach a record that many thought was unbreakable when Courts retired.
“They probably said that about Gordie Howe too, but I really believe it’s a record that’s not going to be broken,” San Jose coach Bob Boughner said. “I see no one lasts that long.”
Erik Karlsson, teammate of the Sharks, added: “It’s more than a personal milestone. I think it’s not just a historic moment for Patty and this organization, but I think it’s historic for the whole league and every player who played this game with or against him or before his time. ‘
The game was stopped early Monday for a congratulatory message from NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman that was shown on video screens.
“Simply being named in the same sense as Gordie Howe is an achievement that hockey players can only dream of,” Bettman said. “Breaking one of his records is historic.”
Marleau, who made his debut on October 1, 1997, at the age of 18 and 16 days – the youngest for any player in the NHL since Lee Wharton started at 17, 81 days in 1945 for the Rangers – is not the only professional person. athlete to break a significant record in Las Vegas.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Hall of Fame basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar drained his distinctive skyhook at the UNLV Thomas & Mack Center on April 5, 1984 against the Utah Jazz to surpass Wilt Chamberlain’s 31,419 points to become the NBA’s leading scorer. Abdul-Jabbar ended his career with 38,387 points.