Pittsburgh Penguins by the numbers: Patrick Marleau
From youth to experience, our Pittsburgh Penguins by the numbers series rolls on. This time, we check in on an NHL icon still thriving, just somewhere new.
The word icon may sometimes be loosely used, but in the case of Patrick Marleau, it is not. The somewhat newly acquired Pittsburgh Penguin has quite the history, including two Olympic gold medals, in the top 25 for career goals, as well as being considered one of the league’s “iron men.”
Marleau’s numbers have been dwindling off, but what do you expect? He is currently 40 years old and pushing ever closer to 41. Don’t let that fool you, however, because he can still get the job done. The only thing he hasn’t done unfortunately is hoisted the coveted Stanley Cup.
He may get the opportunity if the season does continue as planned, and that would be good news for him because he never really got settled. We only got to see him eight times before the season was postponed. In that time, he scored once and assisted once, leaving everyone wanting more from the future Hall of Famer.
Pittsburgh Penguins by the numbers: Patrick Marleau
Ultimately, he will make whatever line he’s on better, but with health coming back to life for the Penguins, he will most likely see himself towards the bottom of the top six. Considered by some as a rental, he can still be much more than that. Look back at the Carolina game where the Pens lost, but he scored a beauty taking on three defenders while sliding in a backhand past the goalie.
Next. Pittsburgh Penguins History: 1998 Eastern Conference Quarter Finals. dark
The thing with Patrick Marleau is that he just wants to play hockey for as long as he can. He is currently playing on a league minimum salary with a contract renewal happening this summer. For a player of his stature, the door should be open anywhere. If he wants to stay in Pittsburgh, let him. His $700,000 a year salary won’t hurt anything.