"Le Magnifique", Mario Lemieux, hangs up his skates

[Va Beach VH Fan]

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=152104&hubname=nhl

Lemieux ends magnificent 17-year career

TSN.ca with CP files

1/24/2006 5:26:44 PM

One of the greatest NHL players in history has called it a career.

Mario Lemieux announced his retirement at a news conference today in Pittsburgh.

''The time is right because I can no longer play the game at the level I'm accustomed to,'' Lemieux said in making the announcement. ''I think the best decision is to retire as a player and turn the game over to the younger guys who are the future of this team and this league. It's a young man's game now.''

Lemieux, 40, has not played since Dec. 16 because of problems caused by an irregular heartbeat. He had been working out regularly and seemed determined to play again this season.

''If I could still play this game I would be on the ice,'' Lemieux said at a news conference.

Phoenix Coyotes' head coach Wayne Gretzky says it's tough to see a great player call it quits.

''He's meant so much to not only the National Hockey League, but the city of Pittsburgh and that franchise,'' said Gretzky. ''The good news is we've got some good, young players like Crosby and Ovechkin come along, so I'm sure they'll carry the torch.''

Lemieux first retired in 1997 following years of back pain, a rare bone infection and a bout with cancer. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame later that year, when the Hall waived the three-year waiting period.

Lemieux had a message for the younger players in the NHL.

''All I can say to the young players is enjoy every moment of it,'' he said, pausing as he grew emotional. ''Just enjoy every moment of it. Your career goes by very quickly. It's a great game and you guys are all very special to me in the NHL.''

Lemieux assumed ownership of the team when it came out of bankruptcy in 1999. He then unexpectedly came out of retirement on Dec. 27, 2000, and helped the Penguins advance to the Eastern Conference final in the spring of 2001.

He did not play a full, injury-free season upon his return, missing most of two seasons with hip problems and another full season when the NHL shut down last year.

Lemieux recorded seven goals and 15 assists for 22 points in 26 games this season with the disappointing Penguins.

''Mario's exceptional play earned him accolades,'' NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. ''His ability to face adversity earned him respect. His devotion to Pittsburgh and the Penguins earned him admiration. His dedication to hockey - at both the NHL and International levels - earned him the enduring appreciation and thanks of everyone associated with the game. We celebrate his playing career and wish him only the best in the future.''

Penguins' rookie Sidney Crosby had high praise for Lemieux as well.

''I think the thing that sticks out for me is just the adversity he's faced throughout his career, on and off the ice and how he came through it,'' Crosby told TSN. ''I think it's a lesson that everyone can take.''

Lemieux's retirement is the latest in a string of setbacks in the Penguins' season that began with such high hopes. The team spent a lot of money trying to surround Crosby with a quality cast.

But the team has struggled with a record of 11-29-9 and is second-last in the NHL with 31 points.

Free-agent forward Ziggy Palffy, who the team signed to a $13.5-million US, three-year contract in August, retired last week. The Penguins will save more money now with Lemieux gone, as he was earning $3 million this season on a one-year deal.

Lemieux is considering several offers to sell the team and there is no guarantee the new owners will keep the team in Pittsburgh.

He is seventh on the all-time NHL scoring list with 690 goals and 1,033 assists in 915 career games.

Lemieux won the Conn Smythe Trophy - which is given to the NHL playoff MVP - twice, in 1991 and 1992, the years he lead the Penguins to their back-to-back Stanley Cup wins.

Over his 17-season career, Lemieux won the Art Ross Trophy - which is given to the NHL's scoring leader - six times. He won the Hart Trophy - which is given to the regular season most valuable player - three times. He was also named rookie of the year in 1985, winning the Calder Trophy.

[Va Beach VH Fan]

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=152139&hubname=nhl

Players: A sad day for hockey

Canadian Press

1/24/2006 4:21:40 PM

A sad day for hockey.

That's what Daniel Briere, the Buffalo Sabres centre and avowed admirer of Mario Lemieux, said of Le Magnifique's announcement on Tuesday that he was retiring from hockey for good.

"It's a big loss for the players, for the NHL," said Briere. "He was still a big attraction wherever he went.

"I know that for myself, playing against Mario was always special. My two most important games in my career were my first game against Mario and my first game against Wayne Gretzky. It's a sad day for hockey."

A dismaying run of injuries and illness - including a back operation and a bout with Hodgkin's disease - forced Lemieux's first retirement in 1997.

The league's seventh all-time scorer suffered through more pain and injury - most recently a heart problem - after his dramatic return to the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins as player/owner in 2000.

At his retirement announcement Tuesday, Lemieux said he could no longer play at the level he expected from himself.

"It's no surprise to me that he's retiring with his injuries and his heart condition," said former NHL centre Vincent Damphousse. "It's been tough for him, but he had a great career. It'll leave a big void for the NHL."

Lemieux's retirement officially ends an era that was petering out even before Gretzky hung up the skates five years ago - a two-decade period in which two stunningly creative offensive talents set scoring records and won championships in spectacular style.

But it comes just as a new group of stars is entering the league, led by Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby and Washington's Alexander Ovechkin.

"I think the league has some great young stars," said hockey legend Bobby Orr. "But to suggest anyone will be a Wayne or a Mario, those two were such ambassadors both on and off the ice."

Said Damphousse: "It's time for him to pass the torch."

Damphousse was Lemieux's teammate with Laval in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in 1983-84. He got to witness Super Mario's final record-setting season of junior hockey before he was drafted first overall by the Penguins.

"He was getting four points a game," Damphousse recalled. "I'd be sitting on the bench watching him and it was unbelievable what he did."

Lemieux was a league-wide and even world-wide superstar, but nowhere was he worshipped more than in his home province, where the Montreal native became Quebec's answer to Gretzky, the NHL's all-time scoring leader.

"He's been one of my idols for years," said centre Vincent Lecavalier of the Tampa Bay Lightning. "Growing up in Quebec, we all looked up to him. We watched every step he made."

"I grew up watching the Quebec Nordiques but Mario Lemieux - I had all his videos at home," added Quebec City native Simon Gagne of the Philadelphia Flyers.

Gagne got his chance to play with Lemieux at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, where they helped Canada win gold.

"I'll have that special memory the rest of my life," he said. "As far as I'm concerned, Gretzky and him are the top two players ever, and I'll be able to say when I retire that I played with one of them."

Briere agreed.

"For some people, it's him, for others, it may be Gordie Howe, Wayne Gretzky or Bobby Orr, but he'll be with those guys," he said.

Lemieux inspired more than just Quebec-born players, as Boston native Jeremy Roenick of the Los Angeles Kings attests.

"I'm very disappointed, I'm the biggest fan of Mario there is," said Roenick. "Playing against him, his leadership, his personality, his talent - he epitomized everything that the ultimate true professional is. He has so much class and treats everyone the same.

"The way he came back and played after Hodgkin's, how many people would have done that and come back the way he did? That's unheard of talent and heart."

Crosby thanked Lemieux for what he's done for him even though the two will not have played much together.

"He's taught me a lot," Crosby told TSN. "He's really been there and committed himself to really helping me, which is saying a lot. I feel very fortunate to have that. On the ice, he speaks for himself."

In Pittsburgh, Lemieux influenced a whole generation of young hockey fans. Flyers rookie R.J. Umberger grew up in Pittsburgh and was captivated by Lemieux.

"I said to my parents one day, `I want to try skating,"' Umberger, 23, told the Philadelphia Inquirer on Tuesday. "I was just drawn to watching the Penguin games and watching him play. I probably would have been a baseball or football player because I had been playing baseball since age 3.

"But when I started watching Mario, that's what made me want to try hockey."

[Va Beach VH Fan]

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/feature/?fid=10600&hubname=

One of the greatest NHL players in history has called it a career.

The Hall of Famer finishes his career with 690 goals and 1,033 assists for 1,723 points in 915 games over 17 seasons - all with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

"The time is right because I can no longer play the game at the level I'm accustomed to," Lemieux said in making the announcement. "I think the best decision is to retire as a player and turn the game over to the younger guys who are the future of this team and this league. It's a young man's game now."

The native of Montreal was the Penguins' first-round pick, first overall, in 1984, and made an immediate impact on the franchise and the NHL. Scoring a goal in his first game, on his first shift, on his first shot, Lemieux went on to register 100 points in his first season and received the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year.

Mario Lemieux chronology

He first retired in 1997 following years of back pain, a rare bone infection and a bout with cancer. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame later that year, when the Hall waived the three-year waiting period.

In 1999, he became the Penguins' chairman and CEO when the team came out of bankruptcy.

He then unexpectedly came out of retirement on Dec. 27, 2000, and helped the Penguins advance to the Eastern Conference final in the spring of 2001.

NHL Awards
Art Ross 1988, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997
Bill Masterton Memorial 1993
Calder Memorial 1985
Conn Smythe 1991, 1992
First All-Star Team Centre 1988, 1989, 1993, 1996, 1997
Hart Memorial 1988, 1993, 1996
Lester B. Pearson 1986, 1988, 1993, 1996
Second All-Star Team Centre 1986, 1987, 1992, 2001

He did not play a full, injury-free season upon his return, missing most of two seasons with hip problems and another full season when the NHL shut down last year.

Lemieux played 26 games with the Penguins this season, scoring seven goals and 15 assists for 22 points. He played for the last time on December 16 vs. Buffalo at Mellon Arena, recording one assist.

Mario or Wayne?
Mario Lemieux Wayne Gretzky
Games 915 1,487
Goals PG 0.754 0.601
Points 1,723 2,857
Points PG 1.88 1.92
All-Star MVP 3 3
Hart Trophies 3 9
Conn Smythe Trophies 2 2
Stanley Cups 2 4

Lemieux won the Conn Smythe Trophy - which is given to the NHL playoff MVP - twice, in 1991 and 1992, the years he lead the Penguins to their back-to-back Stanley Cup wins.

Over his 17-season career, Lemieux won the Art Ross Trophy - which is given to the NHL's scoring leader - six times and won the Hart Trophy - which is given to the regular season most valuable player - three times as well winning the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year.

In addition to his hockey accomplishments, Lemieux continues to oversee the Mario Lemieux Foundation for cancer research and neo-natal research and hosts its annual celebrity golf tournament, which raises millions of dollars for charity.

Mario Retrospective

Scored on his first NHL shot and went on to win rookie of the year with the Penguins in 1984-85
Scored at least 50 goals six times, including a career-high 85 in 1988-89
Held the second longest scoring streak in NHL history, earning points in 46 consecutive games in 1993-94 before a back injury forced him out of the lineup
Averaged more than two points per game six times and won six Art Ross Trophies, maxing out at 199 points in 1988-89
Scored a record 11 goals in nine games at the 1987 Canada Cup, including the final two-game winners for tournament champions Team Canada
Was named the Hart Trophy winner as the NHL MVP three times and was the players' choice for the Pearson Trophy as most outstanding player four times
Was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease in 1992-93 and missed 20 games while undergoing radiation treatmant. He returned the same season to win the scoring championship with 38 points in his final 15 games
Second comeback to the NHL on December 27, 2000 - after three-and-a-half years of retirement - saw him score 76 points in 43 games
Won two Conn Smythe Trophies while leading the Penguins to back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1991 and 1992. It would be another 10 years before Lemieux won the last championship of his career

[Va Beach VH Fan]

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/feature/?fid=10601

Mario Lemieux Chronology

June 1984 - Selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins with the No. 1 pick in the NHL entry draft. Lemieux stays in his seat and doesn't put a team jersey on for the television cameras because of stalled contract talks with the Penguins.

Oct. 11, 1984 - Made NHL debut at Boston. Scored a goal on his first shot on his first NHL shift, against Bruins goalie Pete Peeters.

1984-85 - Won Calder Trophy after becoming only the third rookie in NHL history to score 100 or more points (43 goals, 57 assists).

1985-86 - Awarded Lester B. Pearson Award by the NHL Players' Association to the league's best player. Finished second to Wayne Gretzky in scoring race with 141 points (48 goals, 93 assists) and Hart Trophy voting.

1986-87 - Led Penguins in goals (54) and assists (53) despite playing in only 63 games due to sprained right knee and bronchitis.

Sept. 15, 1987 - Wayne Gretzky sets up Lemieux for the winning goal with 1:26 left in the final game of the Canada Cup series against the Soviet Union. The Gretzky-to-Lemieux goes down as one of the most memorable in hockey history.

1987-88 - Won Hart Trophy as league MVP, Art Ross Trophy as scoring leader with 168 points (70 goals, 98 assists), and Pearson Award again.

1988-89 - Won second straight scoring title with 199 points (85 goals, 114 assists). Set single-season record with 13 short-handed goals. Became only second player (Wayne Gretzky) to score 70 goals in two seasons.

1989-90 - Finished fourth in league in scoring with 123 points (45 goals, 78 assists) despite missing 21 games due to herniated back.

July 11, 1990 - Has surgery to repair a herniated disk in his back.

1990-91 - Missed first 50 games recovering from a rare bone disease resulting from a surgery-related infection. Won Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, scoring 44 points (16, 28), while leading Pittsburgh to first Stanley Cup championship.

1991-92 - Won third scoring title with 131 points (44 goals, 87 assists). Broke his left hand when slashed by the New York Rangers' Adam Graves in Game 2 of Patrick Division final, but returned after missing only five games. Won Conn Smythe Trophy again, scoring 34 points (16 goals, 18 assists) as Pittsburgh won second straight Stanley Cup.

January 1993 - Diagnosed with a Nodular Lymphocytic form of Hodgkin's disease. Underwent radiation treatments from Feb. 1 to March 2.

1992-93 - Played in only 60 games after recovering from Hodgkins' disease. Won fourth scoring title with 160 points (69 goals, 91 assists). Won Hart Trophy for second time. Awarded Pearson Award again.

July 28, 1993 - Had second back surgery in three years to repair herniated muscle in back.

1993-94 - Missed first 10 games recovering from surgery and a total of 58 games with back problems.

Aug. 29, 1994 - Announced he was taking a medical leave of absence due to fatigue and would sit out 1994-95 season.

June 20, 1995 - Announced he would return for the 1995-96 season.

Oct. 26, 1995 - Scored 500th career goal at New York Islanders in his 605th game, becoming the second-fastest player behind Gretzky to do so.

1995-96 - Won third Hart Trophy as league MVP and fifth title with 161 points (69 goals, 92 assists). Led NHL in power-play goals (31), tied for third-highest single-season total in league history.

Feb. 4, 1997 - Scored 600th career goal versus Vancouver in his 719th game, becoming the second-fastest player behind Gretzky to reach that benchmark.

1996-97 -Won sixth scoring title with 122 points (50 goals, 72 assists). Recorded 10th career 100-point season, second only to Gretzky's record of 15.

April 6, 1997 - Announced he will retire following the playoffs.

April 26, 1997 - Had a goal and an assist in his final NHL game as Pittsburgh lost 6-3 to Philadelphia and was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in five games.

Sept. 3, 1999 - Lemieux's ownership group officially takes over Penguins. He becomes first player in the modern era of sports to buy the team he once played for.

Dec. 8, 2000 - Lemieux tells the Penguins he plans a comeback at 35.

Dec. 27, 2000 - Playing in his first game in 44 months, Lemieux has an assist just 33 seconds into his first shift and finishes with a goal and two assists against Toronto. He is the first modern owner-play in U.S. pro sports.

April 2001 - Ends comeback regular season with 76 points in 43 games and is the runner-up to Joe Sakic for the NHL MVP award (Pearson Award). Leads Penguins to Eastern Conference final, where the Pens lose to New Jersey.

2001-02 season - Limited to 24 games by a hip injury, but collects 31 points to become the seventh player in NHL history with 1,600 points in his career. Lemieux captained Canada to the gold medal at the Olympic games before the injury shuts him down for the rest of the NHL season.

2002-03 season - Leads Penguins with 91 points (28 goals, 63 assists) in 67 games, his most since playing in 76 games in 1996-97, and ranks eighth in the league in scoring. Named all-star game starter but misses game with an injury.

2003-04 season - Limited to career-low 10 games by a back injury that forces him to miss the final five months of the season. Without Lemieux, Penguins finish last in overall standings for the first time since 1984, the year Penguins drafted Lemieux.

June 10, 2004 - At his charity golf tournament, Lemieux says the ''clock is ticking'' on the Penguins' future in Pittsburgh without a new arena deal. Also says that while the franchise is not currently for sale, it could be someday soon.

Sept. 15, 2004 - Lemieux captains Canada to victory at the World Cup of Hockey.

Feb. 16, 2005 - NHL cancels season due to labour dispute with players and Lemieux misses a full season for the fifth time since being drafted in 1984; the first four were due to health reasons (1994-95) or retirement (1997-2000).

June 10, 2005 - Lemieux's group nears an agreement to sell a majority stake in the team to a West Coast investors group headed by San Jose venture capitalist William Del Biaggio III, who also co-owns a minor league team with Lemieux. Penguins again emphasize that a new arena is mandatory for the franchise's survival in Pittsburgh.

July 22, 2005 - The Penguins win the right to draft phenom Sidney Crosby in the NHL's draft lottery and ticket orders begin pouring in. It's a major turnaround for a franchise that was last in the league in attendance during the NHL's previous season.

[kh1029384756]

A sad day for all of hockey fans and penguins fans like me. But maybe this could be a turning point.

[Romeo Delight]

Averaged pretty much exactly the same number of points per game as Gretzky (1.92/1.91)

He had more natural talent than anyone other than Orr, perhaps.

Gretky just worked harder, and had better teammates.

I will never forget the magic in Canada Cups and the Olympics.

Truly magical!

[Va Beach VH Fan]

Originally posted by DavidFlamma
Averaged pretty much exactly the same number of points per game as Gretzky (1.92/1.91)

Actually that's correct, but only partially....

He was averaging over 2 pts. per game until the last couple of years.....

[Romeo Delight]

1987 Canada Cup when he scored on a pass from Gretzky to beat Russians was my fondest memory.

You just knew he would score...there was no question.

http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgur...lr%3D%26sa%3DN

[ALinChainz]

Mario had pretty good team mate too, they did win back to back Cups in the early 90's.

Not to mention a Hall of Fame coach in Scotty Bowman.

[Va Beach VH Fan]

Scotty was the coach in only the 2nd Cup year...

Badger Bob Johnson was coach for the 1st one....

[ALinChainz]

Yep, my bad, Bowman was the coach, but lost in rd 2 his second year with the Pens.

Didn't read far enough.

[ALinChainz]

But his record in his second year with the team is way better than his Cup year with them ... interesting.

[boy, u stupid]

I was at the press conference. If you saw it then you heard Mario thank me along with Craig Patrick. The silence is DEAFENING.

[ALinChainz]

I did see it, and you weren't there pussy.

No Thunder, no Minto, no nothing.

See, no one cares about a pedophile who makes shit up on the internet for attention, or a non-ranked, no talent bum who lost to Tony Tubbs.

I do understand that you will be backing Lynn Swann in his bid for governor in PA.

Cry some more Joe.

[boy, u stupid]

Is it embarrassing that every prediction I make comes true. Steelers, Minto, black coaches and qbs etc....

[ALinChainz]

You are 0 for a million dipshit.

Didn't you predict Minto would beat Tubbs?

Need more?

I can name hundreds of your predictions that were so ridiculously wrong, you ate shit willingly just to be an idiot.

How many articles pertaining to this are posted here, yet not one of them mention you.

Funny, you also claim to own the site, but your shit gets closed and dumped too.

Take off tool ... you're outmatched ... again.

[Va Beach VH Fan]

Originally posted by ALinChainz
But his record in his second year with the team is way better than his Cup year with them ... interesting.

Oh yeah, it's always been regarded that the 92-93 team was even better than the two Cup teams.... They were upset by the Islanders that year in the playoffs....

Including winning 17 straight games that year....

[ALinChainz]

Originally posted by Va Beach VH Fan
Oh yeah, it's always been regarded that the 92-93 team was even better than the two Cup teams.... They were upset by the Islanders that year in the playoffs....

Including winning 17 straight games that year....

He experienced the same thing with the Wings 95-96 record-setting club which won 62 games only to be swept by the Devils.