Long-time San Jose Sharks forward Patrick Marleau recently made history when he broke the NHL's all-time games played record. Now, he has been presented with quite the gift.
Marleau was honored by the NHLPA for setting the record, and was gifted with the last hockey stick ever used by Gordie Howe.
Erik Karlsson, Marleau's teammate in San Jose, first held the historic stick and was at a loss for words. The two-time Norris winning defenseman knew Patty would have the same kind of reaction when he had it in his possession.
The NHLPA had to receive permission from the Howe family to remove the stick from the Hockey Hall of Fame, before it could be shipped to Marleau's teammates. Before the Sharks' regular season finale, and the 1779th game of Marleau's career, he was presented with the stick used by Howe in his final NHL game.
Karlsson noted just how special it was and the priceless reaction of Marleau when he first saw a glimpse of it.
«For our union to realize how important this achievement is, that it represents every player that's in the league, every player that wants to be in this league. It's something Patty didn't expect. You could tell right away how emotional he got about it because he knows how much it means,» Karlsson said.
Marleau continued to marvel at the stick when he placed it in his home.
«The stick, it caught him so off guard,» said Christina, Patrick's wife of 16 years. «It's a wonderful gift from the NHLPA and the players. I don't think he ever would have imagined in his wildest dreams that he would get that. He came home, he put it in his office and he just sat and stared at it. He kept saying, ‘Oh my, God.'»
What else can you do with something that special. I think anyone else's reaction would be very similar, especially if they had played 1779 games in the National Hockey League.
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