VANCOUVER, British Columbia _ There's a couple wisps of gray in Patrick Marleau's hair now. A few also spring up in his beard as well, whenever he allows himself the chance to grow it out.
Otherwise, not much has changed. Marleau, in his 19th NHL season, still displays the same deft scoring touch, the same quick release, and on Thursday, and uncanny knack for history.
Marleau became a member of one of the most exclusive clubs in hockey Thursday, scoring his 500th NHL goal in the first period of what became a 4-1 Sharks win over the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena.
The player most synonymous with the Sharks organization reached the indelible moment at the 9:30 mark, taking a pass from Joe Pavelski and beating Canucks goalie Ryan Miller with a wrist shot to the blocker side just 15 seconds after the start of a San Jose power play.
Chris Tierney scored twice and Brent Burns scored his 22nd of the season in the third as the Sharks won for the eighth time in nine games.
Goalie Martin Jones finished with 31 saves, including 16 in the second period, as the Sharks won their ninth straight game against the Canucks in Vancouver. Their last loss to the Canucks in Vancouver came Jan. 21, 2012.
After his milestone moment, Marleau raised his stick and let out one emphatic first pump for the ages.
Burns began the play as he skated around the Sharks' net and fed Pavelski with a 130-foot pass near the Canucks' blue line. Pavelski quickly found Marleau, who quick release gave him his 19th goal of the season.
Marleau is just the 45th player in NHL history to reach 500 goals, and the 17th player to reach the milestone with one team.
Marleau holds nearly every major statistical Sharks franchise record, including games played (1,463), goals (500), points (1,064), power-play goals (158), shorthanded goals (17), overtime goals (9) and game-winning goals (97). He joins Jeremy Roenick as the only players to record their 500th goal as a member of the Sharks.
Marleau was mobbed by his fellow members of the first power play unit, and was given a warm ovation by the Rogers Arena crowd after it was announced that it was the 500th goal of his career.
"It means you've been around for a while. You've done something right, I guess." Marleau said Thursday morning when asked about the number. "It's one of those things that, you don't want to talk too much about, but when it happens, it happens."
The first career NHL goal for Marleau came Oct. 19, 1997 at what was then America West Arena in downtown Phoenix against the Coyotes, just a few months after he was drafted No. 2 overall by the Sharks in the first round of the 1997 NHL Entry Draft.
Thursday, in his 1,463rd NHL game and in the same building where he won the first of his two Olympic gold medals in 2010 with Team Canada, Marleau continued his recent goal-scoring tear.
After having one goal called back, Marleau scored his 499th goal in the second period of Tuesday's game against the Chicago Blackhawks. It was then his sixth goal in the last four games, which included a four-goal game against the Colorado Avalanche on Jan. 21.
The play of Marleau is one reason why the Sharks had won seven of their past eight and were in sole possession of first place in the Pacific Division coming into Thursday night.
"You want to get it as soon as possible," Marleau said. "But it's been great because the team's been playing well and winning games.
"When you're able to do that and the team's winning, you feel good about your game and the team's game."
Marleau was back on a line with Logan Couture and Mikkel Boedker to start Thursday's game. His goal against the Canucks was his 158th on the power play.
Marleau entered Thursday with 27 goals in 73 career games against the Canucks. Last season he had three goals and an assist in five games against Vancouver _ including the game-winner in a 3-2 Sharks victory on March 3, 2016.
"What a milestone," Sharks coach Pete DeBoer said. "(Marleau's) such a humble guy I know he wants it over with, but you hope he enjoys it because it's an unbelievable accomplishment. It puts him in the history of the game in a pretty significant spot."
Burns has now scored in eight straight road games, a streak that started Dec. 27 with the Sharks' 3-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks.
Tierney's two goals give him six for the season.
