"Special place in hell for you" - When Patrick Marleau's wife Christina slammed kidnappers for targeting their son

Patrick Marleau and his family's 2021 season almost turned into a nightmare. Their 12-year-old son was almost kidnapped while the family was vacationing at a hotel. Some swift intervention from another family helped avoid the disaster.

Patrick Marleau's wife, Christina, went public about the incident in the last week of 2021 when she claimed that her son was almost lured by a couple near the poolside of the hotel they were staying at.

The exact details of the hotel weren't provided, but Christina on X claimed that while her son Brody had gone to fetch his sunglasses from the poolside, the woman of the couple started chatting with him. She tried to direct him towards her partner.

Noticing some foul play, another family, the Headlam family from Louisiana, intervened. Brody informed his mother, who rushed to his aid and threatened to call the authorities on the alleged kidnappers. Meanwhile, Mrs. Headlam had already gone ahead and notified the authorities for help.

“Brody had gone down to the hotel pool to grab his sunglasses he had forgot,” Christina had tweeted. “A woman started to follow him around, asking questions, getting closer and closer. She was soon reaching out for him, trying to get him to go with her and her partner. Another family saw this happening and saved him. I owe them a thank-you I can not even describe.”

“When Brody called, we rushed down to him. When I saw the woman who tried to grab him at the bar, I let her know that cops had been called, hotel security was watching her, and she needed to leave,” Marleau had continued. “Meanwhile, Mrs. Headlam, unbeknownst to me, was already grabbing security as well.”

“Headlam family, thank you. You are angels on Earth. And for the scum of the Earth that think they can pray on children…there is a special place in hell for you. And there are good people who will stop you,” she had said.

When Christina Marleau had opened up about Patrick spending more time with family post retirement

For a player who set the NHL record for most regular-season games in history, it is understandable that it becomes tough to adjust to the post-retirement blues. Patrick Marleau had only ever understood the game of hockey, but after he hung up his skates in 2021, it allowed him to be around his family more often.

Brody is the second of four sons - Landon, Brody, Jagger, and Caleb - that Patrick and Christina share together. In an article with The Athletic in 2022, Christina had opened up about how, after 24 seasons of travel, Patrick finally got a chance to be around his sons more often.

“Oh, they love it,” Christina said. “It’s been a complete 180 from before, when maybe he would make a game or two during the season to now he’s on the bench or out at practices and on the ice with them. They liked when I went, but they like when Dad goes a lot more.”

After retiring with the Sharks, Patrick became a full-time coach. His eldest, Landon, is also a BCHL player for the Powell River Kings where he reportedly wears his father's #12 jersey.