SAN JOSE – When he started his San Jose Sharks profession almost 20 years in the past, Marc-Edouard Vlasic didn’t need to look far to grasp what it meant to be knowledgeable and the right way to get himself able to play a full NHL season.
His first protection accomplice was Scott Hannan, and by the point Vlasic arrived in San Jose, Patrick Marleau had already been within the NHL for seven seasons. Simply a few months after Vlasic made his Sharks debut, Joe Thornton turned one in all his teammates.
These three gamers mixed to play over 4,500 NHL video games.
“Just being in the locker room with the older guys, Jumbo, Patty, Hanner, see how they prepare for a game, what they do on a daily basis,” Vlasic stated. “I’m forgetting other guys as well, but … at 19, at helped me, and now I try to do the same thing.”
Vlasic, now 38, has been nominated by the San Jose chapter of the Skilled Hockey Writers Affiliation for the Invoice Masterton Memorial Trophy, which acknowledges the participant who greatest exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.
All 32 of the PHWA’s chapters across the NHL nominate one participant for the award, which has been given out each season since 1968 and commemorates Masterton, a former Minnesota North Stars participant who exhibited these qualities. He died on Jan. 15, 1968, on account of an on-ice damage.
Vlasic is now the longest-tenured Shark and can play in his 1,319th NHL sport Wednesday evening when San Jose faces the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Vitality Heart to start a four-game highway journey. Solely 66 gamers in league historical past have performed extra video games.
Final month, Vlasic set a brand new NHL file for many profession blocked photographs and entered Wednesday with 2,181 blocks. Longtime NHL defenseman Mark Giordano held the earlier mark of two,164.
Earlier this month, Vlasic additionally turned simply the fourth defenseman in NHL historical past to attain at the least one objective in 19 consecutive seasons with one crew, becoming a member of Ray Bourque (21 seasons), Nicklas Lidström (20 seasons), and Kris Letang (19 seasons).
Nonetheless, this has been one in all Vlasic’s most difficult seasons. He missed all of coaching camp and the primary 40 video games with an upper-body damage. In consequence, he had solely performed in 22 video games earlier than Wednesday, as he’s largely been utilized in a 3rd pairing position.
However Vlasic stays a steadying presence for the Sharks and a useful useful resource for his or her youthful defensemen.
“This guy is all time,” Sharks defenseman Henry Thrun, 24, stated of Vlasic. “He’s a friend, he’s a mentor, he’s a great hockey player, someone I’ve really enjoyed being able to play with and get to know over these past couple of years.”
Ryan Warsofsky has coached Vlasic the final three seasons.
“A true pro in every sense of the word,” Warsofsky stated of Vlasic. “He had the damage in coaching camp, labored extraordinarily onerous to get again up to now to even be capable of be an possibility for us. When he got here again, he labored extraordinarily onerous on his sport, on and off the ice
“What’s great about Marc is he’s the same guy every single day. What you guys see is what we see as well.”
Vlasic will transfer into 66th on the NHL’s all-time video games performed listing, previous Jeff Carter (1,321), if he clothes for 3 of the ultimate 4 Sharks video games this season. Vlasic can be signed by means of subsequent season as he completes the eight-year contract extension he signed with the Sharks in 2017.
“I’ve played a lot of games, loved every moment of it,” Vlasic stated. “I’m just enjoying myself.”
EKLUND’S HOMECOMING: Sharks ahead William Eklund confirmed Wednesday that he’ll play for Sweden throughout subsequent month’s IIHF World Championships. Stockholm, Eklund’s hometown, is co-hosting the event with Herning, Denmark.
“It’s something I grew up wanting to do,” Eklund stated of carrying the Swedish nationwide crew’s jersey. “It’s something every kid, growing up, wanted to do, so it’s a huge honor.”
LINEUP NOTES: Sharks winger Tyler Toffoli, who missed Monday’s house sport towards the Calgary Flames with a lower-body damage, is a game-time choice to play towards the Wild, Warsofsky stated. Toffoli leads the Sharks with 28 targets this season. … With Collin Graf being returned to the Barracuda on Tuesday, winger Klim Kostin will take that spot within the Sharks’ lineup. Kostin, a pending restricted free agent, has been a wholesome scratch in eight of the final 9 video games. … The Sharks will face goalie Marc-Andre Fleury one closing time. In 19 profession video games towards the Sharks, Fleury, earlier than Wednesday, had a 20-5-4 file with a .940 save share and three shutouts. The Wild are additionally getting again forwards Joel Eriksson Ek and Kirill Kaprizov, who’ve been out with lower-body accidents. Eriksson Ek hasn’t performed since Feb. 22, and the electrical Kaprizov final performed on Jan. 26.
