SAN JOSE — Patrick Marleau, it seems, doesn’t want all of this attention on him to go on for too long.
On the cusp of becoming just the 45th player in NHL history to reach 500 goals, Marleau, ideally, would like to reach the milestone as soon as possible and just get on with the business of helping the Sharks win hockey games, starting with Thursday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks.
Putting the impending milestone aside, though, Marleau, at 37, is second on the Sharks with 18 goals this season. In the final year of his contract and set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, he’s showing he’s still a valuable piece for a Sharks team that’s been starved for goal scoring throughout much of the season.