The Thirty Days of Mario - Day 1

Jesse Marshall | National Hockey League

Aug 5, 01:12 AM | Hype this story!

Mario Lemieux is my idol.

There’s really no other way to go about saying it.

If it weren’t for Mario, this site probably wouldn’t exist, and the Pittsburgh Penguins would be a mere footnote in the sports history of Pittsburgh.

Watching old Mario goals on youtube makes the hair on my arms stand to attention and goosebumps pop up all over the place.

To be frank, I am of the opinion that Mario was the best to ever play the game.

Summer, being long and hockeyless, strikes me as the perfect time to relieve Mario’s career. Join me as I watch one Mario moment a night. Starting today, we’ll go on a 30 day journey that will end with my personal top 3 Mario moments. The goals up to that point are in no particular order.

So, without further adieu, let’s get right to it.

Mario Lemieux lived up to all the hype in 1984 rather quickly.

No one remembered him refusing to put on the jersey or the contract negotiations as Lemieux took to the ice for his first NHL shift.

What was to come would be the first chip in Lemieux etching his name in with all the greats.

The goalie was Peeters, the shift and shot were his first, and the NHL took quick notice.

Tomorrow: Mario Lemieux takes a feed from Moe Mantha and embarrasses his boyhood idols on Montreal.

Comments

  1. DaBich

    Aug 5, 06:35 AM

    Ahhhhh Love it!! I’m with you, Mario IS the best. Gretzky didn’t have to play with the adversity that Mario did, especially his health. Super Mario!!!!!

  2. Moq

    Aug 5, 09:18 AM

    Mario Lemieux was the closest thing I’ve had to an idol as well. When I grew up there were hardly any NHL coverage worthy of mention. At best you could pick up snippets on Swedish television. I became a Lemieux fan, and thereby a Penguins fan, after watching the 1987 Canada Cup against the Soviet Union.

    Those innocent teenage years so long ago.

  3. Nate

    Aug 5, 10:34 AM

    Great stuff, he is also the reason that I read these boards daily. He was without a doubt the best this game has ever seen and did it without the likes of Mark Messier and Juri Kurri for years like 99. The best he had was late in his career with Stevens, Tocchet and much later Jagr.

  4. bag o' pucks

    Aug 5, 11:18 AM

    Indeed, not one for hero worship, myself, Lemieux was also the closest thing I’ve had to an idol. I’m old enough to remember how bad the Pens were in the early days, the disappointing losses to the Isles in ’75 and ’82, watching those jagoffs from Philly hoist the Cup. But when the Pens turned down a trade for the Stastny brothers and held on to the first overall pick (after a healthy tanking competition with jersey) to draft Mario, I just knew something special was coming. Sure enough, the lanky kid became The Man. I think the world of Crosby & Malkin, but Mario will always be the The Penguin, at least in my mind. It was so great to see him holding the Cup a few weeks back, even if he was wearing a suit instead of a sweater.

  5. TIM

    Aug 5, 11:37 AM

    I think we all agree that had Soixante Six (66) been healthy for the better part of his career he might have the all time records. He was much bigger than Gretsky, and was able to bend more D-Men to his will with his size and speed. He was a natural finisher and a highly gifted player. Would any of us be here without him? I don’t know. I am sure a great player would have come to Pittsburgh at some point, but we got a Special player.

  6. Dabich

    Aug 5, 12:11 PM

    Well said, Tim.
    And Bag, quit reminding me how old I am!

    Moq, c’mon, are you telling us you’re old, too? =)

  7. Moq

    Aug 5, 03:56 PM

    @Dabich

    Yes, I know it’s hard to believe. Despite my sharp wit and youthful language, I’m old too.

    We’re the geriatric brigade of the FF. :-)

  8. Nate

    Aug 5, 05:21 PM

    Bag, Dabich and MOQ, I wasn’t even a twinkle in my parents eyes in ’75.

  9. TIM

    Aug 5, 06:48 PM

    Haha ’84 here. Lemieux was given the pass into the hall of fame which proves how great he was. A question for you all. Will Malkin, Crosby, Fleury make the NHL HOF? I think Malkin and Crosby will.

  10. Zack Dawson

    Aug 5, 08:35 PM

    I guess since I can finally get back on the boards officially (thanks to various repairs to the computer), I’ll add my humble opinion to this.

    Le Magnifique was and is my idol as well. I would not have followed hockey if it weren’t for him, and I think that sentiment reaches farther than just Pittsburgh. Mario is respected throughout the NHL, revered in the ‘Burgh. There’s just no one that compares to him in how he’s affected the NHL. As a player, he gave the sport exposure. As an owner, he saved the Penguins from relocation and has transformed the organization into one of the best run in the league.

    @ Tim: I think it’s too early to say on any of the three. They are still at the onset of their careers. However, should they continue to play at the level they’ve enjoyed thus far, they will be HOF candidates for sure. Having won a Cup doesn’t hurt that cause, either…

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