Captain Pat
Not really seeing any connection looks-wise, but you get the idea.
I have come to the conclusion there are two Patrick Marleaus. One is the passive and seemingly perpetually perplexed individual who can skate twenty shifts during a game while never actually playing a single minute. That's the Marleau we saw during the first half of this season and up to the trading deadline. Then there's the other Patrick Marleau. He's the one who punishes the other team at both ends of the ice, constantly establishes either scoring chances for himself or his linemates while sometimes doing both simultaneously, and takes whatever the opponents dish out whenever they zero in on him because he knows he'll be inflicting far greater damage in the very near future. That's the Marleau we saw after the trading deadline and are seeing now in the post-season. Maybe he thought being invisible earlier would guarantee he wouldn't be leaving San Jose because no one else would want him. Okay, it worked... but next time could you try the "too valuable to trade" tack instead?!! Sheesh.
That all said, Captain Pat firmly laid down the law in Game Five this past Thursday, dousing Flames left and right while making whoever he was on the ice with during any given shift so much the better for it. He has the same number of points in this series (six) as Joe Thornton. In fact, it could be argued he's played better than Thornton thus far. Not a statement anyone thought would have been possible a few months ago when the only time his name came up in conversation occurred when trade talk or "what's wrong with..." were on the table.
Now we're seeing Captain Pat, the one specializing in making like miserable for Sharks opponents. Here's to him sticking around for the rest of year...
... say, thirteen more wins worth?