Patrick Marleau got a little bit closer to setting the NHL record for most games played as he suited up for career game No.1,767 on Saturday night to tie Gordie Howe for first on the all-time games played list.
Over the course of his 23-year career, Marleau has seen a bunch of teams come into the league and has even seen a team relocate, and he’s got more NHL regular season games to his name than five franchises in the league right now.
Vegas Golden Knights (278)
This one is the obvious one considering they’re only in their third NHL season. There’s a lot of players who can say they have more NHL regular season games to their name than the Golden Knights franchise. In his 11 appearances against the Golden Knights, Marleau has two goals and five points, and he's set to break the NHL record in Las Vegas on Monday night.
Minnesota Wild (1,554)
The Minnesota Wild have been around for 20 NHL seasons, but Marleau has been around even longer. One day they’ll pass Marleau in games played, but for now the Sharks’ all-time leader in just about every category has the Wild franchise beat in regular season games played. In 71 games against the Wild, Marleau has 24 goals and 44 points, and he also tied the NHL record against the Wild.
Columbus Blue Jackets (1,558)
Part of the 2000 expansion with the Minnesota Wild, the Blue Jackets have a few more regular season games to their name as of right now, but still not as many as Marleau. He hasn't seen the Blue Jackets as much as he's seen the Wild, but he's still scored 19 goals and 43 points in 62 games vs. Columbus.
Winnipeg Jets (1,640)
Marleau never played against the original Winnipeg Jets before they relocated to Phoenix, but he did play against the Atlanta Thrashers before they became the new version of the Winnipeg Jets. In 33 career games against the Thrashers/Jets franchise, Marleau has tallied 15 goals and 31 points for his best point-per-game average against any franchise during his career.
Nashville Predators (1,721)
The Nashville Predators are another team that Marleau watched come into the league. While it’s only a matter of time until the Preds pass him in games played, he’s still got them beat for now as well. In 71 career games against the Predators, Marleau has scored 21 goals and 51 points.
