Patrick Marleau: No Flash, Just Patrick

This past Monday, Patrick Marleau registered 4 goals in one period, scoring 3 of them in a span of 7:42 minutes. (to tie an NHL record) Not only that, he became the 12th player to score 4 goals in one period. The last player to do that was the legendary Mario Lemieux, back in 1997, against the Montreal Canadiens. Also, in that game Marleau scored his 96th game winning goal, to tie him for 10th on the all time list. That's alot of flashy numbers, but the flash stops there with Marleau.

Marleau is not someone that will garnish the spotlight. He is a quiet reserved player that just wants to play hockey. Maybe that is why no one really pays attention to him. Ok, it doesn't help he plays on the West Coast, and he has never won any major rewards. Even among hockey collectors, Marleau is ofter overlooked. There is nothing specific about him, or his game, that sticks out.

However, I am writing today to state that you SHOULD collect and be interested in this Saskatchewan kid. So here is my pitch for you all. Let's look at some interesting facts about him:

- He current has 497 goals, which sits him 45th all time. That's more goals than legends like Darrly Sittler, Yvan Cournoyer, and Alex Delvecchio.

-In March 19, 2016 Marleau became the youngest player to play in his 1,400th NHL game, becoming one of only 36 players to accomplish this feat.

-Once the season began after the 2012–13 NHL, Marleau got off to one of the best offensive starts in NHL history. He scored two goals in each of San Jose's first four games, then coming one goal short of five-straight multi-goal games, becoming only the second player in NHL history to open a season with four straight multi-goal games

-Marleau was the youngest player in the 1997 draft class, and he debuted immediately at the start of the 97–98 season. This conceptually makes him the youngest player to ever play in the NHL

-He won a World Championships gold medal with Team Canada in 2003.

-He won a gold medal with Canada at the 2010 Winter Olympics (Vancouver) and the 2014 Winter Olympics (Sochi).

-He holds 12 individual San Jose Sharks records.

So those are some pretty decent numbers, almost Hall of Fame numbers. However, there will be people who state that he doesn't have the individual records/rewards to show for his success.Soft, choker, regular season performer, and not a leader are all phrases and words every Sharks fan has heard levied against Marleau. Still he has 65 playoff goals, which sits him 20th all time.

Once Marleau retires, is he a sure bet for the HHOF? No, but he is a player who I believe will eventually get there. At minimal, Marleau will go down as one of the best, if not the best players in San Jose Sharks history. If you are looking to pick up a Patrick Marleau Rookie Card, there is only 3 choice. My recommendation is his "Donruss Preferred card. (See below)

You can get one on e-bay for around $20-25. Which is a phenomenal deal, for such a talented

player.

So there you have it. This good old Saskatchewan kid, should get the respect he deserves, and hopefully this article will inspire you to become a fan of his.