Marleau passes Messier for 2nd-most games played in NHL history

San Jose Sharks forward Patrick Marleau appeared in his 1,757th game Monday night against the Minnesota Wild, passing Mark Messier to claim sole possession of second place on the all-time games played list.

The veteran now sits 10 contests behind Gordie Howe, who has held the record since retiring in 1980.

Marleau, 41, also maintains an ironman streak of 888 games, which is the fourth-longest in NHL history.

He made his NHL debut in 1997 with San Jose and has spent the majority of his career playing with the Sharks, logging brief stints with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Pittsburgh Penguins.