Mario Lemieux

Lore & Background

Mario Lemieux was born in Montréal to Pierrette and Jean-Guy Lemieux, and grew up in the Ville-Émard district with his older brothers Alain and Richard. He began playing hockey at age three in his basement, using wooden kitchen spoons as hockey sticks and bottle caps as pucks. His father created a rink on the front lawn for practice, and the family sometimes packed snow onto the living room carpet so the brothers could practice indoors when it was dark. Lemieux started his junior career with the Laval Voisins of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), breaking the league record for points in a season with 282 (133 goals, 149 assists) in 70 games during the 1983–84 season. He was drafted first overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1984 NHL entry draft, though he did not shake the general manager's hand due to contract negotiations.

Reader's Guide

Mario Lemieux's significance lies in his extraordinary on-ice achievements despite persistent health problems that limited him to 915 of a possible 1,430 regular season games. He led the Pittsburgh Penguins to consecutive Stanley Cup championships in 1991 and 1992, and under his ownership the team won additional titles in 2009, 2016, and 2017. He is the only man to have his name on the Cup both as a player and owner. Lemieux won the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP three times, the Art Ross Trophy as points leader six times, and the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoffs MVP in 1991 and 1992. He is the only player to score a goal in each of the five possible situations in a single NHL game, a feat he accomplished in 1988. At retirement, he was the NHL's seventh-highest career points scorer with 690 goals and 1,033 assists, and ranks second in NHL history in goals-per-game, assists-per-game, and points-per-game averages. His career was plagued by spinal disc herniation, Hodgkin's lymphoma, chronic tendinitis, and chronic back pain; he retired twice due to health issues, first in 1997 after battling lymphoma and then in 2006 after being diagnosed with atrial fibrillation. Despite lengthy absences, his play remained at a high level upon return. The Hockey Hall of Fame inducted him immediately after his first retirement in 1997, waiving the normal three-year waiting period, making him the third Hall of Famer to play after being inducted.

Did You Know?

• Mario Lemieux is the only player to score a goal in each of the five possible situations in a single NHL game, a feat he accomplished in 1988.
• He is the only man to have his name on the Stanley Cup both as a player and owner.
• Lemieux was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame immediately after his first retirement in 1997, waiving the normal three-year waiting period.
• He ranks second in NHL history with a 0.754 career goals-per-game average, behind Mike Bossy (0.762).