Sharks will make Patrick Marleau first player to have his jersey retired
Anthony Scultore
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The San Jose Sharks will bestow a great honor to Patrick Marleau by retiring his No. 12 jersey on February 25, 2023. On-ice festivities will begin prior to the Sharks’ home game against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Marleau, 42, retired on May 10, 2022 after an incredible 23-year career that saw him leave as the NHL’s all-time leader in games played at 1779. He did not play last season.
“Thank you, hockey,” he wrote in an essay for The Players’ Tribune. “For the lessons. The laughs. The tears. You let me live out my dreams.”
For his illustrious career, which includes three All-Star appearances, he is the Sharks’ all-time leader for goals (522), points (1,111) and game-winning goals (101).
Marleau played 1,607 contests for the Sharks, who selected him second overall in the 1997 NHL Draft. He also made pitstops in Toronto and Pittsburgh collecting 1197 points.
Sharks to retire Patrick Marleau’s jersey
“As a little boy skating on a frozen pond, my dream was to play in the NHL,” said Marleau in a news release. “Never could I have imagined the honor of my jersey hanging in the rafters above the very ice that I played so many of my NHL games on. I cannot begin to the describe the way I feel. I am truly grateful and thankful for this recognition, but also for being able to play in front of the great San Jose Sharks fans for so long. I’ll miss doing so for the rest of my life. Thank you to the Sharks organization, my teammates throughout my career, and especially the fans for this honor of a lifetime. I can’t wait to see you all on Feb. 25.”
Sharks president Jonathan Becher called Marleau “Mr. San Jose Shark” and said it was only fitting that he’d be the first player the organization would recognize in this manner.
“Patty symbolizes the Sharks franchise as much as our famous jersey crest and the color teal,” Becher said. “We look forward to celebrating his amazing NHL legacy with Patrick’s family, friends and his legions of fans, many of whom were in the arena when Patrick first stepped on the ice in San Jose in 1997.”
