How good was Mario Lemieux?

Answer 1

He was one of the best that ever played the game. While he is second to Gretzky in so many categories of the record books, this doesn't quite tell the whole story. Lemieux was plagued by injuries and health problems, most notably his back and his battle with Hodgkin's lymphoma that knocked him out in the prime of his career, during a season in which he was on pace to threaten Gretzky's scoring record (Between the 2 of them, they own the top 10 spots for the points in a single season record.) Despite all this, he continued to win scoring titles by comfortable margins while only playing 75% of the games in any particular season, leading the Penguins to 2 Stanley cups, winning playoff MVP honors during both campaigns, and eventually saving the team from bankruptcy and relocation by becoming the league's first ever player/owner. He was a Pittsburgh Penguins franchise player.

Here are a few points illustrating why Lemieux was the best there ever was:

1. During an 8-point game against New Jersey, he became the only player in history to score 5 goals, 1 in each of the 5 possible game situations (even strength, power play, short-handed, penalty shot, and empty net).

2. Following his final dose of radiation treatment for Hodgkin's lymphoma, he flew to Philadelphia to play for the Penguins that very night, scoring 1 goal and 1 assist and becoming the first visiting player that receive a standing ovation from Philadelphia Flyers fans (He would repeat this feat a few years later when his career ended with a playoff loss to Philly.) The Penguins went on to win 17 straight games after his return and Lemieux won the scoring title by a comfortable 12 point margin despite missing 2 months of the season for radiation therapy.

3. Upon his first retirement, he was the only player in history to average more than 2 points per game. While the number eventually dipped below 2/game after his return from retirement, he still led all active players in average points per game during those years.

The point is that he's the only player that can hold a candle to Gretzky's records, and there's no telling how much better his numbers would be had he been fortunate enough to be in good health. As it was, he battled through quite a lot of adversity to achieve what he did and for all the reasons, some (including myself) consider him the best player ever to play the game.

As a final note, his wikipedia article is worth checking out. Lots of cool Lemieux trivia and ridiculous stories...