Patrick Marleau's three consecutive games with multiple goals -he scored two each in Sharks' victories over Calgary, Edmonton and in the home opener Thursday against Phoenix- hasn't been accomplished in the NHL in 30 seasons since Slovak (then he was considered a Czechoslovak) Peter Stastny accomplished such a feat to begin a season. It's such an old feat, Peter Stastny's son Paul is now an established NHL player himself with Colorado, who plays for the same franchise his Dad did -then known as the Quebec Nordiques- in the 1982-83 season.
It doesn't appear on this postgame interview video, but Marleau was asked after Thursday's game when he netted the game winner how he felt about such a quick start in the face of another offseason of criticism after he went pointless in San Jose's first-round playoff loss to St. Louis. The answer was typical I'm too smart and even-keeled to respond angrily or defensively Marleau:
"It’s nice having three big games anytime."
Simple, yet without snapping back as others with less patience would surely do when interviews go bad (mostly it happens in sports other than hockey, with apologies to the never confrontational and Top 10 recipient John Tortorella; and I even once I got yelled at by then Seattle Seahawks safety Ken Hamlin when I was trying in vain to compliment him!). Marleau has received both fair and unfair heat over his career. But give him credit for never letting anything faze him publicly.
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