Patrick Marleau was with the Penguins for just a few weeks before the NHL suspended the 2019-20 season on March 12, but gave his teammates -- and the franchise in general -- positive reviews during a video conference Monday.
"The short amount of time I spent there was great," he said. "The guys were great. It's a great opportunity for myself to get another shot at winning a Cup, with the Penguins. Everything has been great with the organization. They've (helped) with every step of the way. I'm looking forward to getting out of the house, like I'm sure everyone else is, and getting back to normal. Get out there and start playing again."
Marleau, who has rejoined his family in San Jose, gave the impression that playing in NHL might be a bit less rigorous than what he has gone through during the past few weeks -- helping his children with their educations while schools are not in session.
"I'm not going to lie," he said. "The home-schooling thing has been a little tough on me, but they're going good this week. They're off, so it's a good week to take a break here and regroup for the next week of home-schooling."
Marleau participated in the league-organized and -run video conference with former Toronto teammates Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. Reporters were able to watch or listen to the event, but NHL employees asked -- and, presumably, formulated -- the questions that were posed to the players.
The Penguins acquired Marleau from San Jose at the NHL trade deadline to add depth up front. The Maple Leafs had other reasons for pursuing him as a free agent in 2017, when their core players had considerable talent by limited experience.
"I knew the team was younger and I knew they were really highly skilled and played an up-tempo offensive game," Marleau said. "Having a chance to play with (Matthews and Marner), they made everybody around them better. That was one of the things that appealed to me, for sure."
While watching Toronto on video helped to persuade him to join the Maple Leafs, what became a close friendship with Matthews and Marner didn't develop until they actually spent some time together.
"Once I got to training camp, they just seemed like really good guys," Marleau said. "I just took a liking to them."
Marleau spent two seasons in Toronto and, after having his contract sold to Carolina before being bought out, returned to the Sharks as a free agent before this season.
When -- indeed, whether -- the NHL will resume play this season remains to be seen, but Marleau believes the chances will be enhanced if people follow the guidelines for things like social-distancing that have been established by medical officials and political authorities.
"The sooner we do all the right things," he said, "the sooner we'll be able to be in front of the fans and enjoying playing again."
