Patrick Marleau was hired as player development coach and hockey operations adviser for the San Jose Sharks on Friday.
Marleau played 21 of his 23 NHL seasons as a forward with the Sharks. He is their leader in games played (1,607), goals (522) and points (1,111) and second in assists (589) behind Joe Thornton (804).
He will work with the Sharks players as well as prospects with San Jose of the American Hockey League, and serve as an adviser to Sharks general manager Mike Grier, his teammate from 2006-09, and the hockey operations staff.
“I’m extremely excited to be officially back as part of the Sharks organization,” Marleau said. “I’m looking forward to working with our players on the ice to help them reach their full potential and sharing the knowledge I have garnered from playing 23 years in the National Hockey League. I’m also eager to work with Mike and his staff, and to continuing to learn about the game and business side of hockey.”
Marleau, 43, has played the most games in NHL history (1,779), finishing with 1,197 points (566 goals, 631 assists) with the Sharks, Toronto Maple Leafs and Pittsburgh Penguins. Marleau broke Hall of Famer Gordie Howe’s record for games played when he appeared in his 1,768th game April 19, 2021.
The No. 2 pick in the 1997 NHL Draft, Marleau also had 127 points (72 goals, 55 assists) in 195 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
Marleau retired from the NHL on May 10, 2022, and became the first Sharks player to have his number (12) retired on Feb. 25.
“It’s rare that you get the opportunity to add someone to your organization that brings a level of talent and character like Patrick Marleau,” Grier said. “As one of the top players of his generation, Patty possesses an unlimited wealth of institutional knowledge about the game.
“Perhaps more importantly, he was a cornerstone piece in the Sharks becoming one of the NHL’s most dominant franchises over the last two decades and knows what it takes to win and succeed in the NHL. We are extremely happy to bring Patty back into the Sharks family as we continue building a team that our fans can be proud of.”
The Sharks (22-44-16) finished 14th in the Western Conference this season and failed to qualify for the playoffs for the fourth straight season. San Jose will have the No. 4 pick in the 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft, which will take place June 28-29 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
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