San Jose Sharks: Top 25 Players In Franchise History – Final Part
By Ilya Davydov
To celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the San Jose Sharks, we embarked on a journey to unveil the Top 25 San Jose Sharks players in franchise history. The list was an absolute pleasure to put together, as it allowed us to step back from the intensity of training camp, and reflect on the past two decades of Sharks hockey.
While the franchise is yet to reach its ultimate goal in capturing the Stanley Cup, Sharks fans were spoiled with some great players and classy characters representing their team. As we hope for the 2015-16 season to finally be the ultimate winning season for the team, remember – the top two Sharks players of all time are presently active with the team. There is hope.
Mar 29, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; San Jose Sharks center Joe Thornton (19) reacts on the ice against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the third period at the CONSOL Energy Center. The Penguins won 3-2 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Played for the Sharks: 2005-current
Career Seasons: 1285GP – 358G –901A – 1259P – 1051PIM
Career Playoffs: 132GP –24G – 76A – 100P – 116PIM
Sharks Seasons: 753GP – 189G –616A – 805P – 434PIM
Sharks Playoffs: 97GP –18G – 64A – 82P – 75PIM
Drafted first overall in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft, Thornton became a colossal play-making machine, spending a majority of his career in San Jose. Unless traded, he has two more seasons under his current contract with the San Jose Sharks.
He may or may never win the Stanley Cup, but as far as Thornton’s chances on getting inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, they are extremely high. First year eligibility or not, Jumbo Joe should be there. He has made a tremendous impact in San Jose both on and off the ice.
Consider some of these selected hard facts, and remember he still has at least two more seasons to go: his point totals (1,259) are already the 36th most on the all-time NHL list, his assists totals (901) are already 18th most all-time, he is a six-time All-Star Game participant, he won the Art Ross Trophy, he won the Hart Memorial Trophy, he was named to the NHL First All-Star Team, he was named to the NHL Second All-Star Team twice, he won the 2010 Olympic Gold Medal with Canada, and he won 2004 World Cup of Hockey Gold with Canada.
Now, if we prorate Thornton’s next two seasons with a marginally worsening productivity, we are looking at a player who can potentially close in on 1,400 points and 1,000 assists. There are only 12 players in the history of NHL who broke the 1,000 assists plateau. He will likely become only the second player to reach 900 games played for the San Jose Sharks. On the all-time Sharks list, Thornton ranks second in games played, first in assists, second in points, and first in plus-minus.
Joe Thornton could not single handedly bring the Stanley Cup to San Jose, but only Igor Larionov has a better points-per-game in the playoffs than “Jumbo Joe.” When you consider his productivity, his generational play-making talent, his vision, and the uncanny ability to make players around him that much better – Joe Thornton is one of, if not the best player to ever represent the Sharks.
Mar 29, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; San Jose Sharks center Patrick Marleau (12) skates on the ice before playing the Pittsburgh Penguins at the CONSOL Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Played for the Sharks: 1997-current
Career Seasons: 1329GP – 456G –532A – 988P – 421PIM
Career Playoffs: 147GP –60G – 43A – 103P – 67PIM
Sharks Seasons: 1329GP – 456G –532A – 988P – 421PIM
Sharks Playoffs: 147GP –60G – 43A – 103P – 67PIM
While there were many difficult decisions when ranking these players, there was only one person who deserves the top spot as the most iconic and impactful player during the history of the San Jose Sharks. Only 10 other players played more games for a single franchise than Patrick Marleau. If he plays out the rest of his current contract, which runs for another two full seasons, he will get close in on 1,500 regular season games as a member of the Sharks. That number is quite large in this category. But even if we ignore anything that may happen in the future, Marleau has already done so much in his career.
Currently on the NHL all-time list, Marleau sits 52nd in regular season games played, 56th in goals scored, and 84th in points. Understandably, he is first in all those measures in the Sharks record books. As a member of the Sharks team, Marleau was a three-time NHL All-Star Game participant. He was a Lady Byng Memorial Trophy finalist twice (in 2007 and 2014), but unfortunately never won it.
Drafted second overall (behind Thornton) in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft, Marleau made an immediate jump to the NHL foregoing any additional time in the WHL or the AHL. His debut season was extremely promising – he played in 74 games recording 32 points. Gifted with astounding speed and maneuverability combined with good size, Marleau started his quick ascent into hockey’s elite. All of Marleau’s achievements in professional hockey came as a member of the Sharks organization.
As far as his international accolades, he won the 2010 and 2014 Olympic Gold Medals with Canada, the 2004 World Cup of Hockey Gold with Canada, and the 2003 World Championships Gold with Canada.
Patrick Marleau has been and still is a pleasure to watch. He plays a respectable style of hockey, it’s very clean. He is synonymous with the San Jose Sharks, and there is no doubt his jersey will be hanging in the SAP Center rafters. He has been loyal to the organization ever since his draft year, and established multiple franchise records that may never be broken. Marleau is an absolute legend when it comes to hockey in Northern California, and rightly so. I do not want to see Marleau wearing any other jerseys apart from the Sharks. In the extremely unlikely event that he becomes a liability, or another team proposes a lucrative trade offer involving Marleau – I hope he never ever gets traded. The sentiment is shared by many others supporting the Sharks.
Jan 13, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; San Jose Sharks center Patrick Marleau (12) looks on against the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena. The Sharks won 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
The upcoming season will be Marleau’s 18th with the Sharks! Think about that. It is likely that sometime in November, we will be celebrating Marleau’s 1,000th career point – and every single one of those points he put on the board as one of the best and the most iconic Sharks players in the history of the franchise. No matter what happens, Patrick Marleau has forever etched his name in the history book, and in the hockey identity in San Jose.
Here are your Top 25 San Jose Sharks players:
1. Patrick Marleau
2. Joe Thornton
3. Evgeni Nabokov
4. Owen Nolan
5. Joe Pavelski
6. Marc-Edouard Vlasic
7. Dan Boyle
8. Mike Ricci
9. Jeff Friesen
10. Jonathan Cheechoo
11. Marco Sturm
12. Logan Couture
13. Mike Rathje
14. Vincent Damphousse
15. Scott Hannan
16. Marcus Ragnarsson
17. Bryan Marchment
18. Ryane Clowe
19. Jeff Odgers
20. Arturs Irbe
21. Kelly Kisio
22. Sandis Ozolins
23. Ray Whitney
24. Antti Niemi
25. Doug Wilson
Next: San Jose Sharks: Top 25 Players In Franchise History - Part Five