Patrick Marleau isn't far from breaking the record for most games played in NHL history.
There's a lot of documented things the 41-year old does to keep his body feeling right & fresh ... during the season.
But there’s something specific and largely untold, which he does during every second intermission.
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“I get undressed, hop in the shower real quick and then go drop in the cold tub for a few minutes,” Marleau recently told NBC Sports California. “Just kind of get the blood back down nice and cool.”
That’s right. In the 18 minutes between the middle and final stanzas, Marleau goes through a complete refresh that would take most of us twice that time.
“I always feel great going out for the third period,” Marleau said. “I feel like I’m going out for the first period.
“It’s that feeling that I’m fresh and ready to go for the third, that I’m looking for.”
San Jose Sharks
Having played across four different decades, Marleau has had more teammates than he can remember. But few (if any) of them follow suit with the same level of complexity for an in-game ritual.
“There’s not a lot,” Marleau explained. “Tony Granato, Scott Hannan, they would get undressed and go in the cold shower.”
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Marleau is siting on 1,723 NHL games, just 44 behind Gordie Howe for the all-time record.
That’s a lot of showers and cold tubs.
“For whatever reason it’s kind of stuck with me.”