Mario Lemieux truly belongs in the pantheon of all-time hockey greats alongside fellow Canadians Rocket Richard, Gordie Howe and Wayne Gretzky. Neither a battle with cancer nor serious back injuries have been able to put an end to his stellar career. Six-time NHL scoring champion, three-time MVP, two-time Stanley Cup winner, and scoring totals of 683 goals and 1,018 assists for 1,701 points in 889 games – Lemieux is a hockey great.
In his final year in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, he scored a record 133 goals and added 149 assists for 282 points in 70 games. He was named Canadian Junior Hockey Player of the Year and was selected first overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1984. Mario went on to chalk up 100 points in his rookie campaign and was awarded the Calder Trophy as the best first-year player.
Lemieux has seen his career impacted several times by injuries, but the most serious threat came in 1993 when he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Disease. He missed 23 games as he received radiation treatment, but still managed to come back and win the scoring title. He took the entire 1994-95 season off to recover from back injuries and other ailments but came back to win two Art Ross and a Hart Trophy before announcing his retirement in 1997.
The Hockey Hall of Fame waived its waiting period and inducted Lemieux in November 1997.
In 1999, with the Penguins facing bankruptcy, he headed an ownership team that bought the club and kept it in Pittsburgh. In late 2000, he stepped back onto the ice as a player. After the NHL lockout concluded, Lemieux returned to the ice for the 2005/06 season. On January 24, 2006, Mario Lemieux announced his second and permanent retirement from professional hockey at the age of 40.
