Sharks retire Marleau's No. 12 jersey in pregame ceremony

SAN JOSE -- Patrick Marleau was honored by the San Jose Sharks in a jersey retirement ceremony, making him the first player in franchise history to have his jersey number retired.

"It's just an unbelievable honor to have," Marleau said. "It was surreal. It just flashes before your eyes. Everything I did led up to this moment."

The ceremony featured speeches from Marleau's former coach Todd McLellan and former teammates Kelly Hrudey and Joe Thornton. Former teammates such as Owen Nolan, Evgeny Nabokov and Douglas Murray were also in attendance for the ceremony and sat on the ice.

"I've been looking back [because I've been] seeing all the teammates who came back," Marleau said. "When you see their faces and you get talking, the stories and the memories keep flying back.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, former Oakland A's pitcher Rollie Fingers, Golden State Warriors shooting guard Chris Mullin and San Francisco Giants outfielder Barry Bonds joined Marleau on the ice before his jersey number was raised into the rafters to cap off the emotional ceremony.

"I'm actually pretty happy that I did as well as I did, as far as the tears and everything," Marleau said. "Because I could have been up there crying the whole night."

Marleau concluded his playing career ranked first in the NHL in games played (1,779), 23rd in goals scored (566), T-7th in game-winning goals (109), 50th in points (1,197), and 81st in assists (631). As a member of the Sharks, he ranks first in games played (1,607), goals (522), points (1,111), power-play goals (163), shorthanded goals (17), game-winning goals (101), multi-goal games (67) and shots (3,953). He also ranks second in assists (589), eighth in penalty minutes (481), and eighth in points-per-game (0.69 - min. 200 games).

Marleau was originally selected by the Sharks with the second overall selection in the 1997 NHL Draft and made his NHL debut on Oct. 1, 1997. At 18 years, six days old, he became the youngest player to make his NHL debut since 1945.

"I'm so happy to be part of that story, of the evolution of hockey in the Bay Area," Marleau said.