It was close to 9,000 days ago, on October 1, 1997, that an 18-year-old born and raised in the Village of Aneroid would make his NHL debut.
Flash forward 23 years, and that teenager would play 1,779 games, scoring 566 goals, total 1,197 points, and win two gold medals at the Olympics.
That 18-year-old was Patrick Marleau, who just last week announced his retirement in an essay he wrote for The Players Tribune.
After going unsigned this past season, Marleau said it was time to hang up the skates. Though he said he would miss the game, he dedicated three decades of his life too.
“It’s been my whole world since I can remember,” he said. “I owe everything I have to it.”
Throughout his career, the relationships he formed stick out the most.
“The biggest thing that I cherish is the friendships and the people you get to meet along the way,” he said. “The experiences and being able to live out my childhood dream and play in the NHL.”
Marleau said he would miss playing the game, especially when breaking into the league.
“Just being able to play with all the people I had just been watching on TV. All my idols, playing with them and playing against them. I’ll never forget those first few years and establishing yourself in the league after that.
Marleau said he always enjoyed playing in the playoffs, something he did plenty of, playing 195 games.
“Being that one step closer to trying to win the Stanley Cup, and that was always the time of year I looked forward to. That was always the most fun because there was no worry about what just happened once the game was over. It always gets right back at them in the next game.”
He noted that outside of the NHL, winning two Olympic Gold Medals for Team Canada in 2010 and 2014 is something that will always stick out in his mind.
Before the 1,179 games, before being drafted first overall in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft, and before playing in the WHL with the Seattle Thunderbirds, Marleau was skating at a rink in the southwest or on his family’s dugout, honing his skills where he would then move onto Swift Current to play with the Swift Current Legionnaires.
Marleau said growing up in a small town taught him plenty.
“I think the biggest thing that stood out to me was all the lessons you learn on the farm. All the hard work that is put in, and being able to adapt to different situations.”
“I remember being on the farm, and you come home from a hockey or baseball game, and the cows are out. If they get out at 2:00 a.m., you might not be getting back home until 6:00 a.m. You have too always be ready for something different.”
Growing up in Saskatchewan, Marleau said he looked up to players like Gordie Howe, Brian Trottier, and Mark Lamb. Something that kids nowadays do to him.
“Hopefully, kids will see that a kid like myself made it from Saskatchewan, and that will give them enough courage and drive to make it themselves.”
In the 23 years since he broke into the league, he said he has seen hockey continue to grow in the Land of the Living Skies.
“It’s always been great to see. When I was playing in the league, you would kind of go through the other team’s lineups, and you kind of see where they are from, and you always look for the SK besides their name,” he said. “There is a lot more in the league now; a lot of them are in dominate roles on their teams, so it’s great to see that progression in Saskatchewan.”
As for what Marleau will do now that he is returned, he plans on enjoying time with his family and ‘doing things we never were able to do.’
