Patrick Marleau finds a fountain of youth with the Toronto Maple Leafs

Eighteen years and two days.

That is the difference in age between Leafs superstar Auston Matthews and veteran forward Patrick Marleau.

When Marleau was drafted into the NHL in June of 1997, Matthews was still three months away from being born.

Mitch Marner, another young Leafs star, was not quite two months old on the day Marleau was picked in the first round, second overall by the San Jose Sharks.

Patrick Marleau celebrates a game-winning goal against the Boston Bruins with winger Mitch Marner and defenceman Jake Gardiner. (THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Now here they all are, playing on the same team, with the same goal of winning a Stanley Cup as they get ready to face off against the Boston Bruins Thursday evening in Game 1 of their first-round playoff  series. 

"We're all in it together," Marleau said. "We're all pushing and pulling the same direction."

Marleau was signed by the Leafs this past off-season, in large part because of his experience. Nineteen seasons with the Sharks, 17 in which they qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Experience was definitely an intangible the Leafs lacked last year, when they were eliminated in the first round by the Washington Capitals.

But something the Leafs brass could never have predicted, is just how well Marleau would fit in with his new, much younger teammates.

Auston Matthews celebrates with Mitch Marner after scoring against the Montreal Canadiens. (THE CANADIAN PRESS)

"He's taken me and Mitch kind of under his wing," Matthews said.

In fact, both Matthews and Marner agree, Marleau has become somewhat of a father figure to the two 20-year olds this season.

"Definitely, yeah," Marner said, "He's taken care of us all year around. His family's been great."

Just before Christmas, Marleau invited both Matthews and Marner over for for a family dinner with his wife and their four young boys.

"That was just the first time those guys came over for dinner, and the boys were so excited to have them over." Marleau said.

Christina Marleau, Patrick's wife, tweeted out a picture from that night of her husband posing with their kids and his two Leaf teammates. It almost looked like a family portrait of a dad posing with his six children.

Later that same evening, they all headed down into the basement to play mini-sticks. Something many Leaf fans would've paid good money to watch.

Marleau chuckled at the thought of two of the NHL's brightest young stars, crawling around on the floor of his basement playing with his kids.

"They were probably leading the charge on it actually, they were loving it," he said. "I mean, that was a lot of fun to have them come over and to see my kids enjoy them being there."

Patrick Marleau was selected by the San Jose Sharks in the 1997 NHL entry draft. That was the same year both Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner were born. (Joe Fiorino/CBC News)

It was an evening that brought the three Leafs closer together.

"It feels like it's kind of become kind of a family thing," Marner said. But he drew the line when asked if he had ever called Marleau "dad"

"Noooo…  No, we don't call him dad.. No," he said.

He may not be their father, but Marleau says, in a lot of ways his younger teammates have more in common with his kids then they do with him.

"Well, there's different things that they like and do, I guess, away from the rink, compared to what I do with my family and my kids, Marleau said. "Obviously, I'm not going home and playing video games like I used to when I was younger, but that's the stage they're at away from the rink."

Mitch Marner says he's usually on the receiving end of locker room trash talk from Auston Matthews and Patrick Marleau. (THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Marleau admits that sometimes his references to older TV shows or movies will fly right over the heads of his younger teammates.

"I think I asked them if they've seen Goonies," Marleau said, referring to the classic movie from the 80's, even going so far as to act out one of his favourite scenes.

"I was doing the Baby Ruth a little bit," he said. "Kind of looking to see, 'Do you guys know that one? Have you seen that one.'"

While the generation gap is rather large when it comes to pop culture, the trio has found common ground when it comes to the age old locker room tradition of trash talking.

"We all give it to each other pretty good," Matthews said.

While Marleau's age makes him the perfect target, surprisingly he's usually not the butt of the joke, according to Matthews.

Patrick Marleau will play in the Stanley Cup playoffs for the 18th time in his career. (THE CANADIAN PRESS)

"We'll just pick sides sometimes, and then somebody just gets it," He said. "Usually, it's Mitch,"

"They say some crazy stuff," Marner admitted. But when pressed to elaborate, his lips were sealed. "It's inside jokes," he said. "It's going to probably stay inside jokes for a long time as well."

When Marleau signed a three-year contract with the Leafs last summer, he says a big part of his decision was based on the youthful energy and excitement surrounding this team. So far that part of the deal has already paid off in spades.

The other reason he came here was for a chance to win a Stanley Cup, something that eluded him for nearly two decades in San Jose. While there is still a long way to go, and many big challenges ahead for the Leafs in that regard, Marleau says he has a good feeling about this team.

"They're hungry, and they're young, and they want to win."