DALLAS >> There are three players on the San Jose Sharks roster who own an Olympic gold medal. There’s also a Stanley Cup champion, a Hart Trophy winner and a Norris Trophy favorite.

There’s also only one former Mr. Hockey for the state of Minnesota, who once held career state records in high school football for receptions and receiving yards, who shared the same recognition one year as Larry Fitzgerald Jr. and who played on the baseball diamond as Joe Mauer.

Paul Martin is perhaps best known around the NHL as Brent Burns’ steady defense partner. But almost two decades ago, Martin was simply known as the best all-around athlete to ever come out of Elk River High just outside the twin cities in Minnesota.

“He probably was the most diverse athlete the state of Minnesota’s had in a number of years,” said Martin’s former varsity football coach, Paul Gustafson, “along with probably Joe Mauer.”

Mauer was a three-sport phenom at Cretin-Derham Hall in St. Paul before he went on to star with the Minnesota Twins. Martin, before he began an NHL career in 2003, also did it all at for the Elk River Elks.

Martin was good enough in football that he was recruited by a handful of Big Ten schools, including Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa, before he made up his mind to play hockey at Minnesota.

Besides being named all-state in hockey and football, Martin played baseball and hit .354 his senior year. Oh, and he squeezed in some time for track and field, running in the state meet one year as a hurdler, Gustafson said.

Key to it all was Martin’s decision as a young teenager to play a variety of sports, instead of specializing in hockey. Martin turned down an opportunity, when he was in the ninth grade, to attend the U.S. hockey development program in Michigan.

“I didn’t want to really leave,” Martin said. “I had a lot of good friends and enjoyed playing different sports and going to school with them. I didn’t really feel like I needed to leave school. … If you’re going to be a good player and put in the work, you’re going to be a good player no matter where you play.”

Gustafson’s glad Martin stayed home.

“How lucky was I? To be the head football coach and he stayed,” Gustafson said. “I was fortunate he was able do that. He was probably the best athlete I ever coached.”

One game for Elk River, Gustafson said Martin scored a touchdown receiving, rushing and passing.

When Martin graduated high school in 2000, he owned state career records for receptions with 189 and yards with 3,009. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune named him an all-Metro receiver his senior year. The other selection? Fitzgerald, who played at Academy of Holy Angels in Richfield, Minnesota.

“He’s known more for his offensive accolades in football, but really, we rested him on offense. He never came off the field when he played defense,” Gustafson said.

“He was our punter, he returned punts for us. He was our holder for extra points and field goals. He was just a threat every time he touched the ball.”

Martin’s certainly not the flashiest blueliner in the NHL, or even in his own defense pair, although he is quietly having a solid year offensively with four goals and 20 assists through 70 games.

His Sharks teammates aren’t surprised about Martin’s versatility as an athlete.

“We’ll be playing our two-touch soccer games before games and he’ll come in, hasn’t played all year, and be one of the better guys,” defenseman Brenden Dillon said, “We’ll think he’s with FC Barcelona.”

Martin and Mauer’s high schools played against each other in the 2000 state baseball tournament. Martin’s teammate, Paul Feiner, became a legend in his own right for striking out Mauer in that game, the only time Mauer had fanned all year.

Mauer had the last laugh, though, hitting an opposite field home run as Cretin went on to win.

It wasn’t the best way for Martin to end his baseball career. But it’s a memory, one of several he has from his high school days, and one he would have missed out on if he just stayed with hockey as a kid.

After almost 13 years and 845 games in the NHL, safe to say he made the right decision for himself.

“I was happy with the path that I chose,” Martin said. “Fortunately it worked out.”

• The Sharks recalled winger Timo Meier and center Danny O’Regan from the AHL on Sunday. Jannik Hansen, who was injured Saturday when he appeared to catch a stick in his face after a hit on Ducks defenseman Brandon Montour, traveled with team to Dallas on Sunday but it isn’t known if he’ll be able to play against the Stars on Monday.