The San Jose Sharks announced on Tuesday that Patrick Marleau will be inducted into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame as part of their 2024 class. He becomes the second NHL player to earn the honor, as Owen Nolan was the first Shark inducted in 2014.
Marleau’s Nomination Well Deserved
It’s impossible to exaggerate how important Marleau has been to hockey in the Bay Area. He spent 21 seasons with the Sharks as a player and has now transitioned into a front-office role with the organization. Alongside Joe Thornton, Marleau helped elevate the Sharks to their most successful era yet and although they were unable to win a Stanley Cup, they came very close on a few occasions. He set the standard for San Jose hockey as well, as he holds numerous franchise records including career games played, goals, points, and power play and short-handed goals. His 522 goals and 1111 points will take quite a while to be beaten, as no active Sharks are even close to reaching those marks. The closest is current captain Logan Couture with 323 goals and 701 points.
Over the course of his career, Marleau played an NHL-record 1779 games, and 1607 of those came as a member of the Sharks. The Swift Current, Saskatchewan native also spent five seasons as captain of the organization before being demoted to an alternate in favor of Thornton. His legendary career will undoubtedly end with an induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame but for the time being his induction into local Hall of Fames is certainly worth recognition. He was also inducted into the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame in November.
Joining Marleau in the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame’s 2024 class will be Chris Wondolowski, a long-time member of the San Jose Earthquakes of Major League Soccer, swimmer Jenny Thompson, John Taylor, who played for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League, and Brian Sabean, a former executive for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball.
