Patrick Marleau tied Gordie Howe atop the NHL’s all-time games played list as he suited up for his 1,767th career game on Saturday night.
Playing in his 23rd NHL season, Marleau was selected 2nd overall by the Sharks in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft and he cracked the lineup a few months later. When the Aneroid, Saskatchewan native made his NHL debut on October 1, 1997, the world was very different, especially the world of sports and pop culture.
Mike Tyson-Evander Holyfield incident
Ok, this one happened before Marleau made his NHL debut, but it did happen a week after he was selected 2nd overall by the Sharks. Even if you’re not a boxing fan you know all about the famous Mike Tyson-Evander Holyfield incident.
Tiger Woods coming off first major championship
Michael Jordan’s reign as the most popular athlete was about to come to an end and the start of Tiger Woods’ international stardom was beginning. Earlier that year, Woods captured his first major championship with his first of five Masters titles and first of 14 major wins to date.
Tom Brady was still a backup in college
This has to be one of the wildest ones considering Tom Brady is still performing at the highest level and has no plans of retiring anytime soon. When Marleau took to the ice for the very first time with the Sharks in 1997, Brady was only in his second year at the University of Michigan where he was serving as the backup to Brian Griese.
Michael Jordan’s final season with the Bulls
Michael Jordan was the talk of the sports world during the 1990’s, and all eyes were definitely on him when Marleau was making his NHL debut because he was preparing for his final season with the Chicago Bulls. One era ended in Chicago, while another started in San Jose.
Martina Hingis
Martina Hingis took the tennis world and sports world by storm in 1997 as she captured the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open titles at the age of 16, and was named the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year.
Matthews & McDavid
Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid couldn’t even skate yet as Matthews was just two weeks old at the time of his future teammate’s NHL debut, while McDavid was barely eight months old at the time.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was published and hit shelves in the U.K. a few months before Marleau’s debut, but at the time of his first NHL game Harry Potter still hadn’t been released in North America and was still a year away from hitting shelves in the U.S. and Canada.
Boyz II Men top Billboard hit
Boyz II Men’s 4 Seasons of Loneliness was the No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 list the week Marleau made his NHL debut. The song overlook Mariah Carey’s Honey as the top song on the list.
Metallica put final touches on 7th studio album
Metallica lead singer and guitarist James Hetfield is a massive Sharks fan, and you’ve definitely seen him and his bandmates get the crowd going before important home games. The night Marleau made his NHL debut the band was most likely putting the finishing touches on their 7th studio album Reload, which they recorded 60 miles down from San Jose Arena. The album hit shelves about six weeks after Marleau’s debut.
Titanic wasn’t in theatres yet
Titanic might be one of the most popular movies of all-time, so it’s pretty wild to think about the fact that it wasn’t even in theatres yet the night of Marleau’s NHL debut. At the time of his first game, The Peacemaker starring George Clooney and Nicole Kidman were sitting atop the U. S. Box office leaderboard, but was overtaken by Titanic a month later after its release at the Tokyo International Film Festival.
One-year anniversary of N64 in North America
Many gamers consider Nintendo 64 to be one of the greatest gaming consoles of all-time, with many classics released on it during its prime years. Well, when Marleau made his NHL debut the gaming console had just finished celebrating its one year anniversary of its release in North America. That year, Peter Forsberg was the cover athlete on NHL 98.
