TORONTO — Patrick Marleau spent only two seasons in Toronto, but he made quite an impression. On Friday night, the Maple Leafs fans treated him warmly as Marleau, back in his familiar Sharks teal, skated during warm-ups, and they cheered during a video tribute shown during the first television timeout.
His ex-teammates weren’t quite as generous.
Morgan Rielly broke a tie with 5:29 left and the Maple Leafs beat the Sharks 4-1 to spoil Marleau’s return to Scotiabank Arena.
Marleau, 40, waived his no-movement clause to facilitate a trade with the Carolina Hurricanes, who tried to convince him to join them, but was bought out and ended back in San Jose on a one-year deal.