Sharks hire Patrick Marleau as player development coach, adviser

The San Jose Sharks are bringing back franchise great Patrick Marleau to serve as a player development coach and hockey operations adviser.

The Sharks announced Marleau’s return Friday, saying he will work with players on the Sharks and the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda while also serving as an adviser to general manager Mike Grier.

“I’m looking forward to working with our players on the ice to help them reach their full potential and sharing the knowledge I have garnered from playing 23 years in the National Hockey League,” Marleau said in a statement. “I’m also eager to work with Mike and his staff, and to continuing to learn about the game and business side of hockey.”

Marleau spent 21 seasons with the Sharks, playing for them from 1997 to 2017 and then returning in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons before announcing his retirement in 2022.

The 43-year-old holds the NHL record for games played with 1,779 and has Sharks franchise records for goals (522), points (1,111), power-play goals (163), short-handed goals (17), game-winning goals (101) and shots (3,953). He also is a two-time Olympic gold medalist with Canada.

“It’s rare that you get the opportunity to add someone to your organization that brings a level of talent and character like Patrick Marleau,” Grier said in a statement. “As one of the top players of his generation, Patty possesses an unlimited wealth of institutional knowledge about the game. Perhaps more importantly, he was a cornerstone piece in the Sharks becoming one of the NHL’s most dominant franchises over the last two decades and knows what it takes to win and succeed in the NHL.”

On Feb. 25, the Sharks retired Marleau’s No. 12, making him the first player in franchise history to receive that honor.

Information from ESPN’s Kristen Shilton was used in this report.