The Toronto Maple Leafs have got off to a fantastic start to begin the 2017-18 National Hockey League season. At 6-1, the Maple Leafs have the second best record in the Eastern Conference and are only one point back of the conference leaders, Tampa Bay Lightning.
It has also been quite the week for two-time Canadian Olympic gold medalist Patrick Marleau of Swift Current, Saskatchewan. The 38 year old forward reached a personal milestone on Wednesday night against the Detroit Red Wings when he played in his 1500th National Hockey League career game.
Even though Marleau played in 1493 games with the San Jose Sharks, he was not able to accomplish one feat in northern California. That was to win a Stanley Cup. Ironically, this season might just be one of Marleau’s best chances and the veteran is contributing. In seven games, Marleau has three goals and two assists for five points. He is a +5 and continues to show excellent discipline as he has only taken one minor penalty.
Marleau also deserves high praise for solidifying their number two line. We all know how strong the Maple Leafs’ first line is with Auston Matthews, Zach Hyman and William Nylander, but Marleau has really solidified the second line alongside Leo Komarov and Nazem Kadri. Balanced scoring is huge in today’s NHL, and if Marleau plays the way Leafs Nation hopes he will, Toronto fans just might see the Maple Leafs win their first Stanley Cup since 1967.
