ST. PAUL, Minn. – A 38-year-old man glides around a frozen outdoor rink in sub-zero temperatures. He has a balaclava pulled up underneath the chinstrap of his helmet, and he’s smiling.
For Patrick Marleau, this has to be, what, the 4,000th time he’s gone through this ritual as a NHLer?
Equipment on, skates on, go to work.
Yet somehow the oldest member of the Toronto Maple Leafs still manages to treat his job like play. The team went outdoors on Wednesday afternoon to break up the day-to-day grind, and it was the guy who has grinded more than any of them who seemed to most enjoy their 3-on-3 tournament played on a pint-sized surface.
“That was a lot of fun,” said Marleau.
This is as close to a “secret” as there is in finding longevity in any pursuit: Do what you love and love what you do. It’s an ideal that suits the soft-spoken son of a small-town grain and cattle farmer.
Marleau’s been a Maple Leaf for a third of season and seemingly passes a new mile marker each week – the latest seeing him hit 1,100 career points on Tuesday while passing Brendan Shanahan for 16th on the NHL’s all-time games played list with 1,525.
All in a night’s work for a guy currently on pace to reach 28 goals this season, something only a handful of men aged 38 or older have ever accomplished: Gordie Howe, Brett Hull, John Bucyk, Temmu Selanne, Martin St. Louis, Shane Doan, Jean Ratelle and Shanahan.
Hall of Fame company, in other words.
“One of the things is you’ve always got to try and prove yourself out there,” said Marleau. “That’s probably one of the things that keeps me going. I still love it, which makes it that much easier.”
That attitude goes a long way to explaining why Toronto took a calculated risk in signing him to a $18.75-million, three-year contract over the summer while most other teams were unwilling to offer anything more than two seasons.
The organization hopes – expects? – that you’ll hear Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner and others one day talk about the positive influence he had on their careers.
There’s already an army of others who crossed paths with him during two decades in San Jose that speak in those terms. You can count Minnesota Wild goalie (and former Sharks teammate) Alex Stalock, who faces Marleau’s Maple Leafs on Thursday night, among those unsurprised to see him still making a difference.
“The way he skates is so effortless,” said Stalock. “I mean you watch the way he still comes down the wing with speed – I know I’m going to see that tomorrow. He’s just a tremendous guy. He was one of the guys in San Jose who taught me how to be a pro; how he carries himself every day at the rink and the work it takes.
“That’s why he’s still playing at that level when he’s 38. He’s just a great man and lucky for me I got to play with him.”
The Leafs are mired in a difficult segment of their schedule after criss-crossing the continent the last few weeks and still having four road games to play before the Christmas break. A few players have quietly started grumbling about the toll its taken – hence coach Mike Babcock’s decision to skate outdoors on Wednesday afternoon – but Marleau says that his energy level remains high.
It’s a small wonder given the challenges of moving his family across the continent this year. His four boys are active in hockey themselves, which means there isn’t any downtime to be found on “offdays” at home.
However, Marleau believes that’s created a healthy work/life balance.
“It’s actually probably be better for me, as opposed to going home and thinking about the game constantly,” he said. “It allows you to get away from it and just focus on the kids. When you think about hockey a little bit too much, or dwell on things, it can drain your energy.
“But I’m able to get away it, so it’s nice.”
Stalock thinks of Marleau as a rink rat. He chuckles while recalling how he’d FaceTime his kids while on the bus with the Sharks and hold up the phone so that they could see the boys.
During a recent stop in Raleigh, N.C., with the Leafs, Marleau walked around PNC Arena before the morning skate to give his sons a behind-the-scenes look at the home of the Hurricanes.
This is a man who approaches his work with zest. It’s a unique gift. You don’t come across too many players who still possess the drive to be great so long after they’ve already achieved fame, fortune and success.
“I think it’s a humbleness with Patty,” said Stalock. “He’ll never tell you how many games he played, how many points he has, any of that. He’s just another guy, which is so cool. It goes back to him taking care of himself – it’s not just in the gym, but the way he eats, it’s pretty amazing how he does it. Especially now with four kids, it’s a busy, busy lifestyle.
“It’s pretty amazing and he’s one of those guys [where you wonder]: How long can he play? You know what I mean? It doesn’t look like his legs are slowing down…”
And so, he plays on.
There’s nothing else he’d rather be doing.
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