Since its conception, there have been only a few that can be considered to be one of

hockeys greatest. However, there is only one that is considered by all to be the absolute best,

Marion Lemieux. Through his hard work and dedication, Lemieux was able to work his way to

the top despite many obstacles hindering him.

Lemieux was born in Montreal on October 5, 1965, to his mother Pierrette and his father

Jean-Guy Lemieux. Mario began practicing hockey when he was three years old. However,

because he belonged to a working class family, they had to use kitchen utensils, such as wooden

spoons and bottle caps, to be able to play. This led to his father building an ice rink on the front

lawn so that the boys could practice as much as they wanted to, and according to family legend,

the family sometimes packed snow onto the living room carpet so the brothers could practice

indoors when it was dark outside. Later, Lemieux began his career with the Laval Voisins of the

Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Because he started at such a young age, he was already

declared to be a future star. He finished his Quebec Major Junior Hockey League career with 562

points over the three seasons that he played.

Before he was drafted for a team in the NHL, Lemieux announced that he would go with

any team that signed him on. However, he was already locked into a contract with the Pittsburgh

Penguins, leading them to pick him in the first round. Lemieux was not happy with how the

negotiations went with the Penguins, leading him to begin his NHL career feeling slight

resentment for his first team.

When Lemieux began his career, the Penguins were in financial trouble and there were

rumors of them being relocated. The team had declared already bankruptcy after the 197475

season, and by 1983, they averaged fewer than only 7,000 fans per game, which was less than
half of the Civic Arena's capacity. They had not made the playoffs since 1982, and had not had a

winning season since 1979.

When Lemieux debuted on October 11, 1984, he already was making history. He stole the

puck from Ray Bourque, who was a hall of fame defensemen, and then scored on his first shot,

on his first shift. Later in that same season, Lemieux played in the All-Star game and became the

first rookie that was named the most valuable player. At the end of his first season, Lemieux a

total of 100 points and also won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the rookie of the year.

The next season, Lemieux finished second in league scoring with 141 points, behind

Wayne Gretzky's NHL-record 215 points. He won the Lester B. Pearson Award as the NHL's best

regular-season player as voted by his peers. Lemieux missed 17 games of the 198687 NHL

season, his point production slipped, and the Penguins once again failed to make the playoffs.

However, he played in the Canada Cup during the summer of 1987 and set a tournament record

11 goals in 9 games. His last goal, which clinched the Canadian victory, broke a tie with the

Soviet team with One minute and twenty-six seconds remaining in the third period. Lemieux

cited his Canada Cup experience as the reason for his elevated play later on, stating that he

learned a lot from being around and playing with other great hockey players, such as Wayne

Gretsky.

In the 198889 season, Lemieux was tied with Gretsky with 114 assists. He also had 85

goals which added up to be a total of 199 points. He is the only player to approach Gretzky's

gigantic over 200 point seasons. Lemieux finished the season a close second to Gretzky in voting

for the Hart Trophy, and set several milestones and records in the process. He became the second

player to score 70+ goals in two seasons, the fourth player to score 50 goals in 50 games, and the

only player to score 13 shorthanded goals in one season. Thanks to Lemieuxs stellar
performance, the Penguins were able to clinch a playoff position for the first time in nine years.

During the 198990 NHL season, Lemieux scored at least one point in 46 consecutive games

before he ended the streak by leaving a game due to injury. This injury marked the true

beginning for Lemieuxs hardships.

Lemieux's back injury progressed into a herniated disc, which thereafter developed an

infection. On July 11, 1990, Lemieux underwent back surgery to fix the disk, and he missed 50

games in the 199091 NHL season. Despite significant back pain, Lemieux was still able to

score 16 goals and 28 assists for the playoff lead, and led the Penguins over the Minnesota North

Stars for their first Stanley Cup. Lemieux won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoffs' most

valuable player. His 44 playoff points rank second only to Wayne Gretzky's 47 in 198485.

The Penguins began the 1992-93 season well, Lemieux being on pace to challenge

Gretzky's records of 92 goals in one season (198182) and 215 points in one season (198586).

However, on January 12, 1993, he made a shocking announcement that he had been diagnosed

with Hodgkin's lymphoma. He was forced to undergo energy-draining aggressive radiation

treatments, leaving his career and possibly his survival in doubt. He missed two months of play,

and without him, the Penguins struggled. When he returned, he was 12 points behind Buffalo's

Pat LaFontaine in the scoring race.