Lemieux, Mario
Hockey
b. Oct. 5, 1965, Montreal, Quebec
Just when everyone thought no one would ever surpass Wayne Gretzky as a hockey player, Mario Lemieux came along. Lemieux didn't surpass Gretzky but he came close and in the process he proved himself to be a remarkably courageous player.
The 6-foot-4, 230-pound Lemieux averaged more than 4 points a game in his final season of junior hockey before joining the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins in 1984. He scored on his first NHL shot and went to record an even 100 points in his first season, winning the Calder Trophy as the league's outstanding rookie.
After scoring 141 and 107 points in his next two seasons, Lemieux won the Art Ross Trophy as the league's scoring leader two seasons in a row. He had 70 goals and 98 assists for 168 points in 1987-88, 85 goals and 114 assists for 199 points in 1988-89. Lemieux also won the Hart Memorial Trophy as the player of the year in 1987-88.
Lemieux missed the last 21 games of the 1989-90 season because of a herniated disc, but he still had 123 points. There was doubt about whether he would ever play again after undergoing an operation for the disc problem.
He missed the first 50 games of the 1990-91 season, but Lemieux came back to score 45 points in 26 regular season games and 44 points in 23 playoff games, leading Pittsburgh to the Stanley Cup and winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the playoffs.
Although back spasms and a broken hand forced him out of action several times in 1991-92, Lemieux scored 131 points in 64 games to lead the league and was again the top scorer in the playoffs with 34 points in 15 games to win his second Conn Smythe Trophy.
Early in 1993, Lemieux was being treated for continued back problems when it was discovered he had Hodgkin's Disease, cancer of the lymphatic system. He missed 20 games while undergoing radiation treatment but came back once again to win the Ross Trophy with 160 points in just 60 games. Because of the recurrent back trouble, he played only 22 games in 1993-94 and he missed the entire 1994-95 season because of the back injury and cancer therapy.
Lemieux once again made a remarkable comeback, leading the NHL with 161 points in 1995-96 and 122 points in 1996-97. He then announced his retirement and was promptly elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame, which waived its usual three-year waiting period.
The Penguins owed Lemieux millions of dollars in deferred salary payments and when the team approached bankruptcy in 1999, Lemieux was the biggest creditor. His reorganization plan was approved by a federal bankruptcy court and Lemieux became the first player to be a majority owner of his former team. He became the team's president and CEO.
On Dec. 27, 2000, Lemieux rejoined the Penguins as a player after more than three years of retirement. He was the third player in history, after Gordie Howe and Guy Lafleur, to play in an NHL game after being inducted into the Hall of Fame.
He notched an assist just 33 seconds into his first shift and added a goal and another assist later in the game. In just 43 games, he had 76 points on 35 goals and 41 assists, and he was one of three finalists for the Hart Trophy.
Early the following season, Lemieux suffered a serious hip injury and appeared in only 24 games. He came back once again to record 91 points in 67 games during the 2002-03 season, but a recurrence of the hip problem limited him to just 10 games the following season. Lemieux has given every indication of planning to play again in 2004-05.
Lemieux ranks seventh all-time in goals, ninth in assists, and sixth in total points. His career average of .805 goals per game is an NHL record.