Wednesday, 5/7/97 So long, Super Mario Lemieux retires NHL as a
legend despite back surgeries, Hodgkin’s disease
Can all of you who truly know all about the Mario Lemieux legacy
please raise your hand? If you did, then it is likely that you do
not know as much about Super Mario as you thought you did. For
starters, did you know he has retired? Yes, the superstar of the
National Hockey League has called it quits after 12 seasons of
playing with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins can still use
him, as he would have been a very important contributor next
season. But Lemieux is not satisfied unless he is the best. Since
his body no longer allows him to blow past defensemen as he once
did, he has called it quits. The game he loves so much has become a
challenge rather than a walk in the park. Lemieux was the prized
possession of the 1984 draft. Coming out of the Laval junior hockey
team, Super Mario broke almost every scoring record in existence.
In the season before turning 18 years old and becoming eligible for
the NHL draft, Lemieux scored a mind-boggling 133 goals and handed
down 149 assists in only 70 games. Penguins General Manager Eddie
Johnston is rumored to have tanked the 1983-84 season in order to
attain the No. 1 overall pick. The then Minnesota North Stars
offered all 12 of their 12 draft choices that year just to draft
Lemieux – a player who you could build a franchise around. In his
final season, Lemieux managed to lead the NHL for a second straight
season with 122 points (50 goals, 72 assists). But his productivity
in those 76 games dropped from the 161 points (69 goals, 92
assists) that he had in 70 games the season before. Lemieux knew
his talent was declining because of physical limits imposed by his
aging and deteriorating body. He refused to turn into Wayne Gretzky
and keep performing at a lower level than what he is capable. So in
a move which should be very much admired, Lemieux announced his
retirement plans on April 5, 1997 at a charity dinner to set up his
farewell tour. Ironically, Lemieux went out in the same way he came
into the league – by scoring a goal. In his final game in the NHL
on April 26, Lemieux scored a goal and tallied an assist. But his
efforts were not enough to prevent Eric Lindros (possibly the
game’s next superstar) and the Philadelphia Flyers from eliminating
the Penguins in the first round of the 1996-97 playoffs. Super
Mario, who had been hated for so long by Flyers fans, received a
standing ovation at the end as the fans acknowledged Lemieux’s
accomplishments. The one player on the Flyers’ bench giving a
skeptical round of applause for the newly retired Lemieux was
goalie Ron Hextall. The Flyers goalie had been victimized 19 times
by Super Mario shots on net. He was second only to a thankful John
Vanbiesbrouck, who could never prevent Lemieux from lighting the
red light – he allowed 30 Lemieux shots to reach the back of the
net. Lemieux always had a knack for scoring. He led the league six
times in scoring, and in the 1988-1989 season came up one point shy
of 200. Only three times in his career did Lemieux not tally at
least 100 points (1990-1991, 1993-1994 and 1994-1995). In those
three seasons he only played a combined 48 games due to injuries
which have hindered Lemieux’s efforts throughout his entire career.
In the 1990-1991 season he missed 50 games due to back surgery, but
managed to come back strongly and propel Pittsburgh to its first
Stanley Cup championship – the same year that Michael Jordan and
the Chicago Bulls won their first championship. Still suffering
back injuries in 1991-1992, Lemieux still was able to lead the
Penguins to their second straight Stanley Cup. But then Lemieux had
to deal with an illness, far worse than back injury. Lemieux was
diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease – a type of cancer. For all
accounts and purposes, Lemieux’s career was over. But on the same
day that he received his final radiation treatment, Lemieux went on
to score a goal and an assist at Philadelphia. In the 12 games
after radiation treatment was completed, Lemieux went on to score
26 goals and reclaim the scoring title from Pat LaFontaine, missing
only 20 games. The Penguins did not three-peat, but Lemieux’s
efforts were awe-inspiring. Yet the injuries continued as Lemieux
missed 10 more games with back surgery the next season. In the
1994-1995 season he took a medical leave of absence and never
suited up. But Super Mario loved the game too much to stay away
from it and returned for the 1995-1996 season. He gave it one last
shot and showed flashes of brilliance, but the Penguins finished
with a disappointing 38-36-8 regular season record and were
incapable of winning another Stanley Cup. Lemieux knew it was time
to call it quits and now he has left a never-to-be-duplicated
legacy behind. I almost cried the night I watched Lemieux’s last
game at Philadelphia. I knew Super Mario would be no more. Although
the NHL still has the great one in Gretzky, no one will ever match
Lemieux’s physical ability, puck-handling and vision. The game of
hockey has just lost a legend – just like basketball lost Larry
Bird, football lost Joe Montana and baseball lost Nolan Ryan. These
figures will transcend time and will always be remembered as some
of the best in their respective sports. Lemieux now joins them. And
now that you are truly aware of Lemieux’s accomplishments, you can
join the Flyers’ fans and the rest of us hockey aficionados in
paying due respect to Super Mario’s legacy. Mazeika is now
somewhere shedding a tear, applauding and thanking Mario for his
efforts. Send e-mail responses to vmazeika@media.ucla.edu