I mean Gretzky scored 378 goals, 139 assists, for 517 total points in 85 games when he was 10/11 years old for the Brantford Steelers. There's a reason why stats outside the NHL (and maybe some Eurasian senior leagues) aren't brought up in career discussions :P
I remember that season, nothing short of amazing. 51 pts in 16 games is 3.18 ppg! After getting surgery and radiation. I remember the night he came back he had radiation therapy the same morning! Hahaa. Thats nuts. Most talented player ever. Sure, Gretzky is the greatest because he actually did it, but Mario would surpassed him if healthy. As a Pens fan i feel spoiled having Crosby right after. If you are a Pens fan consider yourself lucky. We have had the best player in the world on the Pens for the last 30 years! Lemieux, Jagr, then Crosby right in a row! Thats 🥜. If you are a Oilers fan it continues with McDavid set to take over soon from Gretzky. But Kutcherov might have something to say about that. I live in Tampa now and get to see him on a nightly basis. Lucky indeed.
To all of Pittsburgh, he was Super Mario, and delivered the city’s first two Stanley Cup championships. Despite injuries, Lemieux is one of the greatest to play the game.
I was at the game in Philly when he came back from Cancer and it is something he said he’ll never forget. We booed him for years, but that’s just because the Flyers/Pens rivalry was always great. But that night we gave him a standing O cause we had the ultimate respect for him.
Matthew Daley I was more trying to say that something like that puts sports in perspective. Even though we booed Lemieux mercilessly for years, a moment like that transcends sports and you look at him like a human. It makes you think how silly we really are towards sports sometimes and maybe we take things a bit too seriously.
This guy made Pittsburgh hockey. We would be nowhere, probably extinct, without him. As an RN, I had the honor of taking care of Mario in the Recovery Room after his first back surgery in 1990. Couldn't have been nicer or more respectful.
His come back in 1992-93 to win the art Ross is one of the best come backs in sports history. He got screwed royally on the hart trophy in 88-89. No question about that.
Yep!! If it wasn't for Super fucking Mario , my LalalalaFontaine would have won the Art Ross! " What ?? , I have cancer ?? I need treatments ?? Oh ok well when I'm done then I'll go get me another Art Ross , " ....Mario Lemieux Get the fuck out of here!
Would have been nice to see Lemieux at +2000 points in 2nd spot of the all time points leaders. The fact that Lemieux is the only player in the top 10 with less than 1000 games is crazy also. Forever my Favourite Player
He would have been number one if he played all of those games he missed. Especially if you don’t use career PPG but the PPG that he had before he slowed down later on.
@@kigasixtyfive It would have been very close. I personally think they were about equal offensively. In the 87 Canada Cup, both were very close to their prime (Gretz maybe a little bit past his, Mario not quite at his) and it'd be hard to say one was better than the other in that tournament.
Shannon, Mario’s streak at the end of 93’ is coincidentally the longest winning streak in NHL history at 17. I can’t imagine a teammate not motivated to push when Mario doesn’t let cancer slow him down.
The biggest G in the history of hockey. Imagine that he was healthy when he PLAYED. Never mind the amount of games that he missed, just if he was 100% for even most of the games that he did play. I only really got to see the 00-01 where he got 76 points in 43 games. To put that into perspective, the three highest scoring players were Jagr (121), Sakic (118), and Elias (96). It was pretty comparable to this past season's scoring, so imagine someone putting up 145 points if they played every game. At age 35. After not playing professional hockey in any capacity for 3 years. Yeah, he'll always be my personal vote for G.O.A.T.
I personally asked Al MacInnis who he thought the greatest was, he said Mario. He said his physical leg strength was insane, made him impossible to stop once he had any momentum. I have no doubt in my mind that if Mario in his prime showed up to training camp today he could go out and score 200 points in a season.
And some people even claimed that he was too slow of a skater. They didn't realize that you don't need that much speed, when you're as strong as Mario was. Many nights he dragged both d-men from the blueline to the net and scored. Just an insanely talented player.
Absolutely love and adore Mario Lemieux, and I'm a Flyers fan. Honestly, among all of his trophies and records there is one achievement that often gets overlooked - he received a standing ovation from the Spectrum. Talk about sheer greatnes - no rivalries can stop it.
c71score Oh trust Me I know exactly how many points he was behind Pat !!! LaFontaine was my favorite player ( I know I'm a Blues fan but Pat was born in STL and moved to Detroit when he was around 5 years old) My friend's favorite player was Lemieux so I know the fucking scenario!!! Damn that fucking Lemieux !! Pat was about to win the Art Ross !! But NO!! Here comes that fucking bastard SUPER MARIO !! He shouldn't even been playing! Let alone leading the league in scoring!! WTF! Ok rant over!
@@blueshockey9839 I liked Pat alot. But he had no chance against Mario. No one did. And even if Pat scored what 148 points that season? You can't really compete against a guy who's scoring 3 points a game after cancer treatment and a bad back. If Mario was healthy that season... Holy shit. 220-230 points would've been a very possible reality.
I was born in 1961 and I was lucky to watch hockey night every Saturday night with my dear old dad.. I watched a lot great players over the years.. Bobby Orr.. Bobby Hull... Wayne Gretzky.. Pavel Bure.. Mike Bossy.. on and on and on.. but for a bigger man.. Mario Lemieux had so much finesse it was incredible.. for me the 1987 World Cup was so unforgettable.. thank you Mario for all the great memories 🏒
To this day, there has never been a player that has matched Lemieux's pure talent. His skating was flawless/perpetually 'poetic' on the ice, his stride was unmatchable, his stick reach was one of a kind, his goals were a thing of pure beauty, his shot was perfect. To me, Lemieux is the best pure, naturally talented goal-scorer in NHL history. Others have & will score more (ie. Gretzky, Jagr, Ovi) But no one will ever do it as effortlessly, beautifully, and perfectly as Mario did. He made opposing defenders look silly & hung goalies 'out to dry' multiple times per game and basically every time he touched the puck. Had he stayed healthy/injury free and played the same number of games Gretzky did, he would have had over 900 goals
@@andyjarvis37 imo mario is the best player to ever play, and only injuries held him back. Like you said his 93 season he was literally superman coming back from cancer and still winning the scoring title
Bobby Orr is the best player to ever play the game. 8 Norris, 3 Harts, 2 Conne Smythes, and two Art Ross (no other defenceman has won one Art Ross) a Pearson and a Calder in 12 seasons played, if you count the last three seasons he played a combined 36 games while scoring 45 points on bad knees that ended his career. So all that hardware in his first nine full seasons before his knees gave out.
The greatest player to ever play. He did things that nobody else was capable of doing. Winning scoring titles, playing on 60 games, missing a month with cancer, and then coming back to win the scoring title, missing an entire season and then coming back the next year in leading the league and scoring, being off almost 4 years, practicing for a month and then having 76 points and 42 games. Owning the team, playing for the team and being in the Hall of Fame at the same time? That will never be done again in the history of sports. The things this man did, and accomplished are absolutely astonishing
Another point how cool is it for Sidney Crosby the fact that he got to play a handful of games with Mario Lemieux. Even if it was at the very end of Mario's career Crosby did get to play with Mario. That's got to be a huge plus for Crosby. Cuz it's not like Connor McDavid actually got to play with Gretzky yeah Gretzky's up in the stands and he's probably helping him I'll give him tips but he's not actually playing with him on the ice. Crosby actually got to play with Lemieux.
@@logandent88 honestly Crosby would have been a Hall of Famer even without Mario but I do think him having that relationship with Mario especially when you first came in the league made him fully realize his potential
Crosby learned a great deal from Mario not only what to do on the ice but off it as well! Its really insane to think about imagine having that kind of mentor!
@@theodorebelmont7922 I know. People are like "didn't he live like 5 years in the team owners house? That's weird." But it's MARIO LEMIEUX! Who wouldn't?
*Shannon stares at the camera like Jim from the office* "51 points in 16 games...!" My favorite player of all time. It's actually worth noting that if he retired (again) before those last 2 seasons, he would be at 1.924ppg. He inspired me to play hockey and wear number 33 because I wanted to be half as good as he was.
I was born in 89', Mario Lemieux and the Penguins were the first team I ever saw win a cup (back to back I might add). Since that day Mario was my favourite player, I got his autograph a few years later. The puck is still on my mantle. The greatest player to ever play in my opinion, it's too bad injuries kept him from battling Gretzky for all those records.
Lemieux was the reason I played hockey growing up. I lived in New Jersey and he had that much of an impact that far away. We'd constantly get to see them play on TV and he was just incredible to watch. He wasn't the fastest, but he could drive to the net and make the best of defenders and goalies look like total amateurs. And that was just during his career. Post career, without Mario - you probably wouldn't have had Jagr in Pittsburgh, nor Crosby.
As someone who never met their real grandmother (who was the love of my grandpa's life and he never recovered from her loss) because she died of cancer in 1964 (I was born in 1981), this hit me hard. I'm so glad Mario came back and kicked butt the way he did. Thank you, Shannon for covering this.
Of the 46 members of the NHL 500+ goals club, only three of them played under 1000 games - Maurice Richard (978), Mario Lemieux (915), Mike Bossy (752).
The documentary on Mario Lemieux or the Penguins while he was there is worth a watch. Comparing him to Gretzky is like comparing apples and oranges. Their skill sets were so different, yet they were both great
Best ever! Who gets 123 points in 59 games, while playing part time and being injured, on a below average team? This was pre Jagr, pre Francis, etc... Why Super Mario of course.
You could make the argument with Coffey, Stevens, and Recchi he had just as much as Gretzky with Nicholls and Robitaille, although much of what Nicholls contributed that year was due to Gretzky being his linemate, and he was a good but not great player without Wayne. Gretz put up 168 that year while adjusting to a new team that was woefully inferior to the Oilers team he had come from.
I never watched Gretzky regulary. The few times i did, I was not impressed. points per game. Marios 51 in 16 = 3.19 points per game, Gretsky 100 in 34 = 2.94
He could command the ice like a pool room hustler. Scoring by wrist, slap, and backhand from anywhere on the ice. Breakaways were like slam dunks. Plenty of evidence to that on RUclips. He made fools out of many a goaltender and defensive player. Extreme finesse and precision not usually seen on a hockey rink. Many memories from this unique player.
I do feel Mario is the most talented player ever. Not most accomplished. Most talented. Might be the natural athlete ever. I remember Ron Francis did an interview after he came to the Penguins. Ron had asked Mario what he does in the off season to prepare for the upcoming season. Mario answered in September he would stop eating French Fries!!! That always cracked me up. He meant it too. Just a pure natural talent. Thank for sharing the video. I enjoyed it very much.
Great video! Pretty damn thorough. Seriously one of the best Mario Lemieux I've seen on RUclips. Well done. One *major* point that you didn't point out.....when Mario retired in 1997, he was the *only* player to ever retire with a PPG average over 2! (1494 points in 745 games) A few more interesting points: 1) Mario only came out of retirement because he became the majority owner of the Penguins, who were in bankruptcy, in late 1999. 2) On the day of Mario's last radiation treatment, he flew to Philly and played the Flyers. He scored a goal and an assist in that game! Seriously! The guy had radiation treatment then played an away game where he notched two points. 3) Mario is the only NHL player to score all 5 different ways (even-strength, PP, PK, penalty shot and empty net) in one game.
At the rate he was scoring accounting for the 500 + games he missed he would of had north of 2600 points. Epic. To me he always was better then Gretzky stats aside.
Yep, and he only fell 204 goals short of Gretzky. If he played another 500 games at his gpg average he'd add another 377 goals. Realistically that wouldn't have happened but well over 200 would have. He was the man.
Mario le magnifique, the magician. I remember his last game (where he scored), scored on his first shot on his first shift in the NHL, his 5 goals 5 different ways game (5on5, PP, PK, Penalty shot, empty net), his comebacks (where he always scored or had a pass), his jersey being lowered down (since it was retired) and the cups. what a man, oh baby!
Lemieux was 12 pts behind Lafontaine when he came back with 16 games left in the season. Lafontaine was having an elite year (148pts). Lemieux finished 12 points ahead of him at the end of the season. Just insane. Lemieuxs stats that year averaged over a full 84 game season (2 extra neutral site games to test expansion markets) worked out to 96.6 goals, 127.4 assists, and 224 points.
And goalies were alot bigger in 1993 Than in 1982. But nobody EVER talked about eras and equipment size then. That started when Connie McPrincess entered the NHL. Weird.....
Thanks for this. I grew up a Penguins fan and watched a lot of Mario’s games. My son, who plays hockey, has only heard how great Mario was. He has been awed by the stats. But he was floored hearing about all the adversity Lemieux played through. As great as his numbers are, imagine if he played his whole career after holding, clutching, and grabbing were removed from the game.
As a young lad seeing Mario play live in the Cup Years and then seeing him live after retirement, always a thrill. Every time he touched the puck, you expected amazing things to happen. Most nights it did.
Thanks for doing this. Started watching hockey in late 88. All due respect to the great one but Mario Lemieux is the greatest player I've ever seen. That year he got Hodgkin's Disease cancer and came back and rip the league apart I don't think I've seen anyone play like that not Ovechkin not Crosby not anybody He's my biggest Sports hero of all time whenever I have a down day I'll watch some of his highlights and how we went through all this injuries and how we came back instead on top and it really motivates me to do well in my life too. As a die-hard penguins fan he's helped bring three more championships to Pittsburgh as an owner with the help of Sidney Crosby and Malkin and others. He will always be the goat in my eyes and he's my hero. Shed a tear writing this too lol
6:00 exatly Marios 93 run after cancer 51 points in 16 games is the greatest perfromance I've ever seen. Guy had back to back 4 goal games and a 5 goal game which the MSG crowd gave him a standing ovation. Guy was super human
I suspect the cancer diagnosis made him more focused and driven. Maybe thinking his time was running out is what led to that incredible performance. I imagine it was the back problems that truly held him back. It's all just speculation either way.
That season was his highest points per game of his career. What happened in the other seasons where he didn't have to come back from cancer? Why does nobody ever bring that part up? It almost seems like the cancer thing made him better for only that season. The season before, he was over half a point less in ppg and the year after, he was a full point less in ppg. Nobody bragging about those years.
@@dannycarlow8204 cause he had back infections that severely hampered his career. Not dissing anyone but Mario in his prime was a beast and I've never seen anybody since then dominate the game in that way. He also ripped it up in the playoffs in 91 and 92 and 92 he had a broken hand the 2nd half of the playoffs. The Penguins were a powerhouse those years and he FINALLY got some help after basically playing with nobody until Paul Coffey came over in 87-88.
Ray Bourque. First ballot Hall of Famer. One of the best d-men ever. Mario Lemieux made him look like a drunk beer leaguer with dull, un-tied skates. Most skilled player I've ever seen.
The reason Lemieux probably didn’t win the Hart trophy 88-89 was that it was Gretzky’s first year with the Kings. I still think that Lemieux is the greatest ever considering the amount of missed games, back problems, cancer and low scoring/dead puck/clutch and grab era he would break Gretzky’s records. If he had a better team the first 5 or 6 seasons he would be ranked #1 in points at this moment. Seems like such a nice guy as well. It’s a shame he didn’t play longer. Super Mario is the GOAT
My greatest image of Mario is hoisting his first Cup as owner. That alone showed how he saved an entire franchise. You can say that he is hockey's GOAT because of his involvement as both player and in management/ownership.
I remember buying NHL '01 I think it was and being Australian didn't know much about hockey. "Oh, Lemieux is coming out of retirement. He must've been a decent player". So I check out his stats and thought "holy hell this guy was ridiculous. How had I never heard of him". I of course knew about Gretzky and how he was the undisputed GOAT until I saw the ridiculousness that was Super Mario
I have no doubt in my mind that a healthy Mario Lemieux would break Gretzky's 92 goal record he'd have over 100 and he definitely break Gretzky's 215 point record for a season. I think Gretzky's assist record of 163 would probably be safe but his goals and points records would be smashed and a healthy Mario Lemieux would have over 1000 career goals no question about it
He probably would've done that in 92-93. The guy missed 24 games that season. If he scored at the pace he was scoring at the end of the season. We'd be talking about a 220-230 point season. With 90-100 goals.
Theodore Belmont - Gretzky himself would have beat Gretzky’s record of 215 points had he not been injured after his 51 game scoring streak (in which he scored 153 points, exactly 3 PPG). He was on pace for 240 points (in 80 games) at the time of injury. He would also have also broken his own goal scoring record.
Le Magnifique! My favorite player growing up. When he came back in 2000-2001 it was so cool. At the time, being so little, I didn’t know he was a player/owner or anything like that. I remember re-watching his segment on the NHL ALL ACCESS DVD over and over again.
The legend. 5 different goals in 1 game. In practice he once carried two trainers on his back, caught a puck on his stick in mid air and stick handled in a beauty on the tendie just for fun. And of course "The Immaculate Deception" from the gold medal game in 02. Saw him play. He was a bull. Unstoppable force.
For whatever reason was never a Pens fan and once had a boss that was diehard Pens fan. But always had great respect for Mario and got to see a bit of his playing days towards the end of his career. But just more and more amazed at all he went through and still put up those kind of numbers. Insane! Especially after coming back from radiation and surgery for cancer. definitely one of the most superhuman athletes regardless of sport. Not sure if there is even a close second after seeing this vid.
I have a great story for this video! In the 1996/97 regular season my Dad took my Brother and I to our first Red Wings hockey game in Detroit. It was supposed to be the last game Mario Lemieux would ever play in Detroit since he was planning on retiring. We are huge Red Wings fans, but Mario Lemieux was my Brothers favorite player, and it was a cool coincidence that the first game we ever went to ended up being against the Penguins. I'm pretty sure that Detroit fans gave Mario a nice send off, but it's been so long that it's hard to remember. The Red Wings won the game, and we were excited to get to see Jagr and Lemieux play. We would talk about how we saw Mario Lemieux play his last game in Detroit for years after that. Fast forward to the 2000/01 season and we hear Lemieux is coming out of retirement to play again. It was kind of funny, I remember thinking "Well so much for the seeing Lemieux's last game in Detroit story". I didn't think I would ever tell that story again until I saw this video today and thought about it. It's not really an exciting story, but it was a fantastic match-up to watch live for 11 year old me at the time. I will never see that much amazing talent on the ice ever again. The 96/97 Red Wings team and Lemieux, Jagr, and Francis. I wish I could find a recording of that exact game so that I could watch it again.
I just looked it up, the game was on February 27, 1997 at Joe Louis Arena. The Red Wings won the game 4 - 1. Goals were scored by Konstantinov, Federov, Lidstrom, and Larinov. The one goal for the Pens was scored by Greg Johnson. At the gift shop my Dad bought me a Phoenix Coyote puck with the original "Kachina style coyote" logo on it because I thought it looked really cool :)
One of the greatest “what ifs” ever BUT STILL one of the greatest ever as well. Pretty crazy. Legendary numbers but if he was fully healthy he would have 3,000 points, 1,000 goals and 2,000 assists and at least another cup. Not even a joke
You are so far off. The problem is that nobody understands how Mario's points were dictated by nothing other than powerplays. It didn't matter how healthy he was or who his teammates were, if the Pens didn't get a bunch of powerplays, he couldn't score big. It rings true throughout his entire career. In his two highest scoring seasons the Pens had 491 and 500 powerplays. In Wayne's two highest scoring seasons the Oilers had 295 and 341 powerplays. McDavid scored 153 points on 275 powerplays. When the Pens had fewer than 400 powerplays, Mario never actually scored more than 122 points or was on pace for more than 144 points. Wayne's four 200+ seasons all came with the Oilers receiving between 293 and 341 pp. Mario obviously would have scored more points playing more games, but nowhere near what you think. There simply wasn't enough powerplays for him to score that many points.
Mario Lemieux is hands down the MOST important athlete in Pittsburgh history. The city has a rich history in sports, with plenty of greats, but in my opinion Mario is the absolute best and most important if only because of his dedication to keep the team in this great city of Pittsburgh
No discussion of how Mario bought the team? The Pens owed him about $32.5 million in 1999, when they filed bankruptcy; he proposed that they convert the cash to equity and he buy the team. Mario was the first player-owner in the NHL, and not only brought back the team from bankruptcy but insisted that they fully pay off their debts, which they did.
As a die hard Flyers fan, Super Mario is the undisputed greatest of all time. If he wasn't so injury prone because of the game he played and didn't get cancer on top of that, he'd have passed all of Gretzky's records no doubt in my mind. Not to mention he was a true 5 tool player who actually threw his body around and played defense. Something Gretzky could never do.
The reason why I think Lemieux is better than Gretzky, is because Lemieux didn't have a team in his early years in Pittsburgh. Gretzky had Curry, Messier, Coffee. Lemieux was the most dominating player to ever play the game. And he was dominating the game with a broken back.
i will always say Mario was the best player of all time. If he did not have the issues he had health wise his records would be the ones we look at now as the goalposts to beat for current players. Not to mention in Mario's early years he did not have the best team behind him to begin with and he was still putting up insane totals. To me top 3 players of all time Mario Lemieux Wayne Gretzky Bobby Orr but that is just my viewpoint on things. I get some heat for not putting Wayne first but i firmly believe mario is the best player to lace up skates and i doubt we will ever see someone of his calibre again.
You forgot to mention that during the years he couldn't tie his skates he also almost never practiced with the team. So here's a guy that can't practice or work out much at all, he has to stand on flights, get someone to tie his skates for him and just dominates the league. That year he got cancer and had 51 points in 16 games to win the art Ross was just crazy. When he came back he was trailing LaFontain by 12 points in the scoring race. He ended up winning the Art Ross by 12 points. To me he is #1, and would just love to play in todays league. A league where he's not hooked, slashed and held constantly. He's in a class of his own talent wise. Also an incredible human being, watch the youtube documentary on Kevin Stevens to see what type of a man Mario is.
When I get the question about Lemieux or Gretzky, I usually say that I see it as Gretzky had the best understanding of the game ever, but Mario had the best talent. Gretzky was talented for sure, and to me he is no. 2, but watching Lemieux play it just feels like he had that pure talent no one else had ever in the history of the game. He was mad dominant when he was at his peak.
Thank you for this video. He's always powered through obstacles and many health issues. Instead of thinking how great he would be if he didn't have health issues, I personally think he's even greater for how much he achieved in the wake of constant hurdles.
In the 92-93 season after the cancer diagnosis and missing those games for the radiation treatments, Lemieux watched Pat LaFontaine (having his career year) pass him in the scoring race. LaFontaine was trailing Lemieux at the time of the cancer diagnosis and ends up 12 points ahead by the time Mario returns to the ice. He was scoring 2-3 points most nights, but on the same nights, Lemieux was putting up 3-5. It was an amazing time to be a hockey fan!
Well done. I am a Pens fan and Mario is my favorite player in hockey, not because of his numbers, but because of the fact he was never without some form of pain. He is a beast and from what I understand, still one of the most approachable players still involved with the game.
Lemieux played at that level while being injured and in pain and being viciously hit by everyone. Also put-up those numbers on a stinker team for years and years. Didn't come-up with a team that could win the cup without him and did after he left like Gretzky and the Oilers, while never being hit. Hands down the greatest ever.
@@ryancalhoun2910 I saw both of them play live and in person. From 1987 to around 1993 no player was even close to Mario and Wayne wasn’t old yet. Many people agree with me. Also in 1989 there were 21 teams in the league and all 21 general managers were asked which player they would choose to start a franchise. 17 of 21 chose Mario Lemieux. But everyone has their opinion.
The most insanely talented player I have ever laid eyes on... its not even close. Words cannot describe how unstoppable this man was. He did things with the puck that have never been done and will never be duplicated again...ever. I got his rookie.
We’re lucky enough to have lived through some of the absolute greatest players in history, Gretzky, Lemieux, Crosby, Ovi, Yzerman, Brodeur, the list goes on
He had the best eye-hand coordination of any player I ever saw. The goalie would be right against the post and Mario would bury it practically from the goal line. It was really amazing to watch.
Another thing worth considering is that Gretzky played on a stacked team for pretty much his entire career, whereas Mario played on some pretty awful teams before winning those two cups
burny6666 I disagree as Gretzky changed his game once he got all the great talent around him. Remember he scored 92 goals in 81-82 before Messier, Coffey and Kurri were in their prime so Gretzky was dominating games by scoring. Then he shifted to passing to dominate as he had a ridiculous 163 assists in 85-86. If Gretzky were on worse team in the 80’s, he would have scored 80-90 goals every year.
Not only Gretzky had great players around him but he was off limits for contact his entire career. While most players respected Mario as well he definitely had more thrown at him and even dropped the gloves a few times. My favorite was late in his career Jay McKee took a run at him at center ice. While Mario stumbled a little it was Jay that hit the ice hard and left the game with what was later disclosed as a concussion. Pretty sure the game was in Buffalo and Sabres were wearing those red third jerseys... some things are never forgotten.
Mark Warnes Gretzky was off limits just like any superstar of that era as each team had their Marty McSorely to protect them and give him room to skate. Yzerman readily admits that Bob Probert opened up the ice for him to do anything. Brett Hull always talks about Tony Twist giving him room to skate. The problem is that The Penguins did a crummy job of protecting Lemieux early in his career as I remember being a Flyers fan and playing them 7 times a year.
@@chrisolivo6591 yeah, but Gretzky got protection from the referees more then anyone. There was just an unwritten rule that u didn't touch Wayne. Plus, Mario was so big, I think players didn't mind playing Mario more physical since he was bigger then 99% of them.
As a young Red Wings fan in the 90s I somehow didn’t pay much attention to Mario and didn’t have a particularly positive opinion of him (probably biased by my dad). But wow I never realized all the injuries and health issues he had and am just now realizing how insane his point totals were given all the time he missed for various reasons.
Great vid, I wish you also talked about some of his international achievements. I'll never forget him letting a pass go between his legs to fool everyone and Karyia just taps it into an empty net.
Man, I'm so old! I remember having the 2002 gold medal champions team pic as a poster in my room as a teen. They lost the first game against the Swedes with Cujo in net. They went with Brodeur for the second game and never looked back.
Few things I feel you should have mentioned: #1)The Pens were really bad his first four years, yet he still put up great numbers. #2)Gretzky had other HOFers on that Oilers team. #3) Gretzky never took anything close to the physical abuse thistle Lemieux faced. #4) how in the world did Lemieux not win Hart in his 199 point season? Many think it’s because he’s French Canadian. 5) Oilers won a Cup without Gretzky, Gretzky never won a Cup without Oilers, that says a lot to me. Mario squashes Wayne like a grape.
I feel like there's not even close to being enough highlight videos of him. It seems that most I've seen focus on the same 10 goals maybe. There was so many sneaky goals he scored that I never see in highlights. Banking the puck off players in front of the net while he was behind the goal, or to the side.. Banking off the goalies pads or blocker and in. He did so many things that people thought were luck, but he just saw different ways to score. He was the man
Aahh, a Mario video... been waiting for this, but didn't expect it today. Would argue any time that at his peak he was the most dominant player ever, period. too bad he wasn't completely healthy for than those first 5 or 6 seasons.
And yes he was the greatest goal scorer of all time. He undressed Hall Of Fame defenceman and made them look like peewees. He constantly would score from sharp angles and behind the net on purpose. Guy even scored a goal straight off a face-off
@@falungongboy Think about it how teams felt back then. First Mario comes, you can't take the puck away from him. Needed atleast 2 guys. And before the 2nd got there, he'd pass it to Jagr, who was just as crazy good in protecting the puck. Just an insane pair.
Great video. Lemieux was my favorite player growing up, even before Pens ever won a cup. You mention that Orr said Lemieux was the best player he ever saw, it reminded me how Gretzky also said that. Remember the Canada Cup goal and he said he Passed to Lemieux "cause he was a better shooter than me".
I’ve watched both Gretzky and Lemieux in their prime. You can definitely make a case for both players. I say, Mario was the prototype player of the modern game. A huge guy who skates like a ballerina and his stick work was like a violin. As Don Cherry notes, guys were using the blade of their stick like a knife. His jersey was stuck to him, they had to cut it off of him. That’s how much slashing, jabbing he took night after night. Mario fooling Bourque and netting a goal after Adam Graves as a Ranger, broke his wrist. Unbelievable.
The other teams looked like they where pilons when Mario played. Going through 5 players and scoring was normal for him. He could pass or shoot and make the other team look silly.
![BRASIL vs. URUGUAY [1-1] | RESUMEN | ELIMINATORIAS SUDAMERICANAS | FECHA 12](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/-hWBAuxF1eY/mqdefault.jpg)
Also worth noting that in his last year in the QMJHL, he played 70 games and scored 133 goals...also 149 assists...282 points...in..70..games.
Insane !
I mean Gretzky scored 378 goals, 139 assists, for 517 total points in 85 games when he was 10/11 years old for the Brantford Steelers. There's a reason why stats outside the NHL (and maybe some Eurasian senior leagues) aren't brought up in career discussions :P
Mario had 1698 goals and 954 assists in 54 games as 10/11 year old.
@@RedRisotto 😂😂 I wasn't being sarcastic mate, look up Gretz' stats for the Brantford Nadrofsky Steelers during the 1971-72 season. 85-378-139-517.
@@RangersGirlJackie99 The parents of the other kids would boo him and throw shit at him. The way other kids parents treated him was disgusting.
Honestly hearing how many points Lemieux got in 1992-93 after coming back from cancer treatment made me legitimately gasp
How many of those points would he have given back for his third straight Cup?
@@matthewdaley746 yeah I hear you but he's already won three more Cups thanks to Crosby as an owner he's got five rings now
You have to watch it man unbelievable I've never seen anyone play that great in my life
@@theodorebelmont7922 He didn't know that then.
I remember that season, nothing short of amazing. 51 pts in 16 games is 3.18 ppg! After getting surgery and radiation. I remember the night he came back he had radiation therapy the same morning! Hahaa. Thats nuts. Most talented player ever.
Sure, Gretzky is the greatest because he actually did it, but Mario would surpassed him if healthy. As a Pens fan i feel spoiled having Crosby right after. If you are a Pens fan consider yourself lucky. We have had the best player in the world on the Pens for the last 30 years! Lemieux, Jagr, then Crosby right in a row! Thats 🥜.
If you are a Oilers fan it continues with McDavid set to take over soon from Gretzky. But Kutcherov might have something to say about that. I live in Tampa now and get to see him on a nightly basis. Lucky indeed.
To all of Pittsburgh, he was Super Mario, and delivered the city’s first two Stanley Cup championships. Despite injuries, Lemieux is one of the greatest to play the game.
@SteelCityFilms * one of *
To all of hockey fans. He was Super Mario.
Illness more than injuries cut short his career.
@Jimbus Rift That was the thing, you never knew how he was going to beat you.
He was supposed to be a Devil Penguins will forever be known as cheaters for getting him 2 of those 5 cups are completely tainted forever.
I was at the game in Philly when he came back from Cancer and it is something he said he’ll never forget. We booed him for years, but that’s just because the Flyers/Pens rivalry was always great. But that night we gave him a standing O cause we had the ultimate respect for him.
They respected what he overcame, They didn't respect HIM, still classy, though.
Matthew Daley I was more trying to say that something like that puts sports in perspective. Even though we booed Lemieux mercilessly for years, a moment like that transcends sports and you look at him like a human. It makes you think how silly we really are towards sports sometimes and maybe we take things a bit too seriously.
@@chrisolivo6591 Some delusional fans are a tad less refined than yourself, you're a real breath of fresh air.
I remember watching that on TV. There aren't many sports moments that have legitimately given me chills, but that one did.
@@sz7313 I keep myself detached from sports for the most part.
This guy made Pittsburgh hockey. We would be nowhere, probably extinct, without him. As an RN, I had the honor of taking care of Mario in the Recovery Room after his first back surgery in 1990. Couldn't have been nicer or more respectful.
That is awesome! Thank you for you service
Opened our restaurant back up to serve him and the boys after they won the Cup in 2008. He couldn't have been nicer. I would have done it for free.
His come back in 1992-93 to win the art Ross is one of the best come backs in sports history.
He got screwed royally on the hart trophy in 88-89. No question about that.
It was like a Paul Bunyan story
His Goals per game is also second all time behind bossy at 0.754. No one is coming close to that these days.
@@1989CW Bossy was another player whose career was cut short.
Yep!!
If it wasn't for Super fucking Mario , my LalalalaFontaine would have won the Art Ross!
" What ?? , I have cancer ?? I need treatments ?? Oh ok well when I'm done then I'll go get me another Art Ross , " ....Mario Lemieux
Get the fuck out of here!
@@blueshockey9839 If it makes you feel any better Mario got the Art Ross but not the Cup.
Would have been nice to see Lemieux at +2000 points in 2nd spot of the all time points leaders. The fact that Lemieux is the only player in the top 10 with less than 1000 games is crazy also. Forever my Favourite Player
He would have been number one if he played all of those games he missed. Especially if you don’t use career PPG but the PPG that he had before he slowed down later on.
Only player in top 40*
he would have had MORE points than Gretzky if he had as many full seasons as Gretzky... (just my opinion)
@@kigasixtyfive It would have been very close. I personally think they were about equal offensively. In the 87 Canada Cup, both were very close to their prime (Gretz maybe a little bit past his, Mario not quite at his) and it'd be hard to say one was better than the other in that tournament.
Coincedently, my like makes 66
Shannon, Mario’s streak at the end of 93’ is coincidentally the longest winning streak in NHL history at 17. I can’t imagine a teammate not motivated to push when Mario doesn’t let cancer slow him down.
Yep. The pens were 11-10-2 without Mario and after he came back, well you said it. 17 games in a row.
66 likes lol
The biggest G in the history of hockey. Imagine that he was healthy when he PLAYED. Never mind the amount of games that he missed, just if he was 100% for even most of the games that he did play. I only really got to see the 00-01 where he got 76 points in 43 games. To put that into perspective, the three highest scoring players were Jagr (121), Sakic (118), and Elias (96). It was pretty comparable to this past season's scoring, so imagine someone putting up 145 points if they played every game. At age 35. After not playing professional hockey in any capacity for 3 years. Yeah, he'll always be my personal vote for G.O.A.T.
I personally asked Al MacInnis who he thought the greatest was, he said Mario. He said his physical leg strength was insane, made him impossible to stop once he had any momentum. I have no doubt in my mind that if Mario in his prime showed up to training camp today he could go out and score 200 points in a season.
And some people even claimed that he was too slow of a skater. They didn't realize that you don't need that much speed, when you're as strong as Mario was. Many nights he dragged both d-men from the blueline to the net and scored. Just an insanely talented player.
Mario would love the current rules and eat up the league. I agree, a healthy Mario would likely get 200 points in todays game.
@@sweetswing1 But he couldn't deek out any of the Russians in the 1987 Canada Cup.
@@jeffreykaufmann2867 Canada Cup winning goal
@@jeffreykaufmann2867 Didn't need to when he could rifle wrist shots in from the blue line.
Absolutely love and adore Mario Lemieux, and I'm a Flyers fan. Honestly, among all of his trophies and records there is one achievement that often gets overlooked - he received a standing ovation from the Spectrum. Talk about sheer greatnes - no rivalries can stop it.
Maybe they gave him an ovation because they didn't have to play him for much longer.
I was at a neutral site game in Richville Ohio,Super Mario got a 25 minute standing ovation when they intro'd the starting line ups.
I think that was the game to where he scored that sick power-play goal where he roofed it
That’s awesome
There's awesome, didn't know that. I remember Flyers fans giving him a standing ovation though!! Never see anything like that again!
@@theodorebelmont7922 Ye-he had 5 pts. that game 2 g's and 3 a's.
IRWIN ROMMEL the game against the Red Wings? I was at that one.
He had cancer .....then led the league in scoring!!!!
WTF?????
He was 12 points behind Pat Lafontaine when he cam back from treatment.....and won the title by 12 points.
c71score Oh trust Me I know exactly how many points he was behind Pat !!!
LaFontaine was my favorite player ( I know I'm a Blues fan but Pat was born in STL and moved to Detroit when he was around 5 years old)
My friend's favorite player was Lemieux so I know the fucking scenario!!!
Damn that fucking Lemieux !! Pat was about to win the Art Ross !!
But NO!! Here comes that fucking bastard SUPER MARIO !!
He shouldn't even been playing! Let alone leading the league in scoring!! WTF!
Ok rant over!
Back problems and cancer...
@@blueshockey9839
I liked Pat alot. But he had no chance against Mario. No one did. And even if Pat scored what 148 points that season? You can't really compete against a guy who's scoring 3 points a game after cancer treatment and a bad back. If Mario was healthy that season... Holy shit. 220-230 points would've been a very possible reality.
11DNA11 Probably!
I was born in 1961 and I was lucky to watch hockey night every Saturday night with my dear old dad.. I watched a lot great players over the years.. Bobby Orr.. Bobby Hull... Wayne Gretzky.. Pavel Bure.. Mike Bossy.. on and on and on.. but for a bigger man.. Mario Lemieux had so much finesse it was incredible.. for me the 1987 World Cup was so unforgettable.. thank you Mario for all the great memories 🏒
To this day, there has never been a player that has matched Lemieux's pure talent. His skating was flawless/perpetually 'poetic' on the ice, his stride was unmatchable, his stick reach was one of a kind, his goals were a thing of pure beauty, his shot was perfect. To me, Lemieux is the best pure, naturally talented goal-scorer in NHL history. Others have & will score more (ie. Gretzky, Jagr, Ovi) But no one will ever do it as effortlessly, beautifully, and perfectly as Mario did. He made opposing defenders look silly & hung goalies 'out to dry' multiple times per game and basically every time he touched the puck. Had he stayed healthy/injury free and played the same number of games Gretzky did, he would have had over 900 goals
would argue over 1000 + goals. The guy was a machine and made everyone around so much better.
@@slauzon01 Yes, I agree. He had almost 700 goals in just over 900 games. Astounding numbers!
The GOAT. Truly. Mario le Magnifique. There’s never been a better hockey player. Ever. Orr, 99, Howe? I’ll take 66. Thank you very much.
Watching this high. So fascinating, I think Mario is the best player ever
Watching a year later also baked I agree
@@HunterMagunter lmao. I was particluarly fascinated by his season in 92-93. Literal superhero shit
@@andyjarvis37 imo mario is the best player to ever play, and only injuries held him back. Like you said his 93 season he was literally superman coming back from cancer and still winning the scoring title
Higher than a giraffes pussy 🦒 but indeed Mario's the best to ever put on skates even with somebody else tying them most of the time 👀
Bobby Orr is the best player to ever play the game. 8 Norris, 3 Harts, 2 Conne Smythes, and two Art Ross (no other defenceman has won one Art Ross) a Pearson and a Calder in 12 seasons played, if you count the last three seasons he played a combined 36 games while scoring 45 points on bad knees that ended his career. So all that hardware in his first nine full seasons before his knees gave out.
The greatest player to ever play. He did things that nobody else was capable of doing. Winning scoring titles, playing on 60 games, missing a month with cancer, and then coming back to win the scoring title, missing an entire season and then coming back the next year in leading the league and scoring, being off almost 4 years, practicing for a month and then having 76 points and 42 games. Owning the team, playing for the team and being in the Hall of Fame at the same time? That will never be done again in the history of sports. The things this man did, and accomplished are absolutely astonishing
Hands down my all time favorite player to watch. Loved him.
Mario Lemieux is my fav. hockey player of all time. Thanks for doing this video...
Another point how cool is it for Sidney Crosby the fact that he got to play a handful of games with Mario Lemieux. Even if it was at the very end of Mario's career Crosby did get to play with Mario. That's got to be a huge plus for Crosby.
Cuz it's not like Connor McDavid actually got to play with Gretzky yeah Gretzky's up in the stands and he's probably helping him I'll give him tips but he's not actually playing with him on the ice. Crosby actually got to play with Lemieux.
Crosby even lived with Mario when he first came into the league
@@logandent88 honestly Crosby would have been a Hall of Famer even without Mario but I do think him having that relationship with Mario especially when you first came in the league made him fully realize his potential
Crosby learned a great deal from Mario not only what to do on the ice but off it as well! Its really insane to think about imagine having that kind of mentor!
@@theodorebelmont7922 I know. People are like "didn't he live like 5 years in the team owners house? That's weird." But it's MARIO LEMIEUX! Who wouldn't?
@@liuliwuyugmail it wasnt' a small house , more like a castle lol
*Shannon stares at the camera like Jim from the office*
"51 points in 16 games...!"
My favorite player of all time. It's actually worth noting that if he retired (again) before those last 2 seasons, he would be at 1.924ppg.
He inspired me to play hockey and wear number 33 because I wanted to be half as good as he was.
I was born in 89', Mario Lemieux and the Penguins were the first team I ever saw win a cup (back to back I might add). Since that day Mario was my favourite player, I got his autograph a few years later. The puck is still on my mantle. The greatest player to ever play in my opinion, it's too bad injuries kept him from battling Gretzky for all those records.
Lemieux was the reason I played hockey growing up. I lived in New Jersey and he had that much of an impact that far away. We'd constantly get to see them play on TV and he was just incredible to watch. He wasn't the fastest, but he could drive to the net and make the best of defenders and goalies look like total amateurs. And that was just during his career.
Post career, without Mario - you probably wouldn't have had Jagr in Pittsburgh, nor Crosby.
As someone who never met their real grandmother (who was the love of my grandpa's life and he never recovered from her loss) because she died of cancer in 1964 (I was born in 1981), this hit me hard. I'm so glad Mario came back and kicked butt the way he did. Thank you, Shannon for covering this.
Of the 46 members of the NHL 500+ goals club, only three of them played under 1000 games - Maurice Richard (978), Mario Lemieux (915), Mike Bossy (752).
Quebec is goated like that
Mario le magnifique!!! He was a force of nature to me he's the GOAT!!!
The documentary on Mario Lemieux or the Penguins while he was there is worth a watch. Comparing him to Gretzky is like comparing apples and oranges. Their skill sets were so different, yet they were both great
Best ever! Who gets 123 points in 59 games, while playing part time and being injured, on a below average team? This was pre Jagr, pre Francis, etc... Why Super Mario of course.
You could make the argument with Coffey, Stevens, and Recchi he had just as much as Gretzky with Nicholls and Robitaille, although much of what Nicholls contributed that year was due to Gretzky being his linemate, and he was a good but not great player without Wayne. Gretz put up 168 that year while adjusting to a new team that was woefully inferior to the Oilers team he had come from.
lol at the "no argument"... Gretzky may have something to say about that.
Gretzky scoring 100 points in 34 games... Just saying.
@@11DNA11 Mario's 51 points in 16 games double that.... just saying.
I never watched Gretzky regulary. The few times i did, I was not impressed. points per game. Marios 51 in 16 = 3.19 points per game, Gretsky 100 in 34 = 2.94
His top 100 clip really doesn't do him justice
Hes why I love hockey. Sad I missed his first few years before the injuries.
He could command the ice like a pool room hustler. Scoring by wrist, slap, and backhand from anywhere on the ice. Breakaways were like slam dunks. Plenty of evidence to that on RUclips. He made fools out of many a goaltender and defensive player. Extreme finesse and precision not usually seen on a hockey rink. Many memories from this unique player.
I do feel Mario is the most talented player ever. Not most accomplished. Most talented. Might be the natural athlete ever. I remember Ron Francis did an interview after he came to the Penguins. Ron had asked Mario what he does in the off season to prepare for the upcoming season. Mario answered in September he would stop eating French Fries!!! That always cracked me up. He meant it too. Just a pure natural talent. Thank for sharing the video. I enjoyed it very much.
Great video! Pretty damn thorough. Seriously one of the best Mario Lemieux I've seen on RUclips. Well done.
One *major* point that you didn't point out.....when Mario retired in 1997, he was the *only* player to ever retire with a PPG average over 2! (1494 points in 745 games)
A few more interesting points:
1) Mario only came out of retirement because he became the majority owner of the Penguins, who were in bankruptcy, in late 1999.
2) On the day of Mario's last radiation treatment, he flew to Philly and played the Flyers. He scored a goal and an assist in that game! Seriously! The guy had radiation treatment then played an away game where he notched two points.
3) Mario is the only NHL player to score all 5 different ways (even-strength, PP, PK, penalty shot and empty net) in one game.
At the rate he was scoring accounting for the 500 + games he missed he would of had north of 2600 points. Epic. To me he always was better then Gretzky stats aside.
Yep, and he only fell 204 goals short of Gretzky. If he played another 500 games at his gpg average he'd add another 377 goals. Realistically that wouldn't have happened but well over 200 would have. He was the man.
Actually, Gretzky played on much better teams (assists) then Mario, so yeah, Mario had to do more with less.
Mario le magnifique, the magician. I remember his last game (where he scored), scored on his first shot on his first shift in the NHL, his 5 goals 5 different ways game (5on5, PP, PK, Penalty shot, empty net), his comebacks (where he always scored or had a pass), his jersey being lowered down (since it was retired) and the cups. what a man, oh baby!
Lemieux was 12 pts behind Lafontaine when he came back with 16 games left in the season. Lafontaine was having an elite year (148pts).
Lemieux finished 12 points ahead of him at the end of the season. Just insane.
Lemieuxs stats that year averaged over a full 84 game season (2 extra neutral site games to test expansion markets) worked out to 96.6 goals, 127.4 assists, and 224 points.
And goalies were alot bigger in 1993 Than in 1982. But nobody EVER talked about eras and equipment size then. That started when Connie McPrincess entered the NHL. Weird.....
Thanks for this. I grew up a Penguins fan and watched a lot of Mario’s games. My son, who plays hockey, has only heard how great Mario was. He has been awed by the stats. But he was floored hearing about all the adversity Lemieux played through.
As great as his numbers are, imagine if he played his whole career after holding, clutching, and grabbing were removed from the game.
Ive been waiting for this one!
As a young lad seeing Mario play live in the Cup Years and then seeing him live after retirement, always a thrill. Every time he touched the puck, you expected amazing things to happen. Most nights it did.
Thanks for doing this. Started watching hockey in late 88. All due respect to the great one but Mario Lemieux is the greatest player I've ever seen. That year he got Hodgkin's Disease cancer and came back and rip the league apart I don't think I've seen anyone play like that not Ovechkin not Crosby not anybody
He's my biggest Sports hero of all time whenever I have a down day I'll watch some of his highlights and how we went through all this injuries and how we came back instead on top and it really motivates me to do well in my life too. As a die-hard penguins fan he's helped bring three more championships to Pittsburgh as an owner with the help of Sidney Crosby and Malkin and others. He will always be the goat in my eyes and he's my hero.
Shed a tear writing this too lol
6:00 exatly Marios 93 run after cancer 51 points in 16 games is the greatest perfromance I've ever seen. Guy had back to back 4 goal games and a 5 goal game which the MSG crowd gave him a standing ovation.
Guy was super human
I suspect the cancer diagnosis made him more focused and driven. Maybe thinking his time was running out is what led to that incredible performance. I imagine it was the back problems that truly held him back. It's all just speculation either way.
@@Adam202 Back problems might make him worry about performance, cancer diagnosis made him worry about dying.
That season was his highest points per game of his career. What happened in the other seasons where he didn't have to come back from cancer? Why does nobody ever bring that part up? It almost seems like the cancer thing made him better for only that season. The season before, he was over half a point less in ppg and the year after, he was a full point less in ppg. Nobody bragging about those years.
@@dannycarlow8204 cause he had back infections that severely hampered his career. Not dissing anyone but Mario in his prime was a beast and I've never seen anybody since then dominate the game in that way. He also ripped it up in the playoffs in 91 and 92 and 92 he had a broken hand the 2nd half of the playoffs.
The Penguins were a powerhouse those years and he FINALLY got some help after basically playing with nobody until Paul Coffey came over in 87-88.
Ray Bourque. First ballot Hall of Famer. One of the best d-men ever. Mario Lemieux made him look like a drunk beer leaguer with dull, un-tied skates. Most skilled player I've ever seen.
The reason Lemieux probably didn’t win the Hart trophy 88-89 was that it was Gretzky’s first year with the Kings. I still think that Lemieux is the greatest ever considering the amount of missed games, back problems, cancer and low scoring/dead puck/clutch and grab era he would break Gretzky’s records. If he had a better team the first 5 or 6 seasons he would be ranked #1 in points at this moment. Seems like such a nice guy as well. It’s a shame he didn’t play longer. Super Mario is the GOAT
My hero as a kid, After 1989 there was no other player that defined talent to me than Mario Lemieux.
My greatest image of Mario is hoisting his first Cup as owner. That alone showed how he saved an entire franchise. You can say that he is hockey's GOAT because of his involvement as both player and in management/ownership.
When you break down his numbers this way and put into light his struggles with injury and illness you are left in awe.Great video.
I remember buying NHL '01 I think it was and being Australian didn't know much about hockey. "Oh, Lemieux is coming out of retirement. He must've been a decent player". So I check out his stats and thought "holy hell this guy was ridiculous. How had I never heard of him". I of course knew about Gretzky and how he was the undisputed GOAT until I saw the ridiculousness that was Super Mario
I have no doubt in my mind that a healthy Mario Lemieux would break Gretzky's 92 goal record he'd have over 100 and he definitely break Gretzky's 215 point record for a season. I think Gretzky's assist record of 163 would probably be safe but his goals and points records would be smashed and a healthy Mario Lemieux would have over 1000 career goals no question about it
Theodore Belmont but he didn’t. Part of any sport is endurance and longevity.
He probably would've done that in 92-93.
The guy missed 24 games that season. If he scored at the pace he was scoring at the end of the season. We'd be talking about a 220-230 point season. With 90-100 goals.
With ease. Add that 500+ games he missed into his average scoring. Well over a 1000 goals.
Theodore Belmont - Gretzky himself would have beat Gretzky’s record of 215 points had he not been injured after his 51 game scoring streak (in which he scored 153 points, exactly 3 PPG). He was on pace for 240 points (in 80 games) at the time of injury. He would also have also broken his own goal scoring record.
@@chrisyoung4679 Part of any team sport is having a great supporting cast... Which Wayne did and Mario didn't his first 7 years
Canada Cup Winning goal in ‘87. Canadian and hockey legend forever, just for that.
Le Magnifique! My favorite player growing up. When he came back in 2000-2001 it was so cool. At the time, being so little, I didn’t know he was a player/owner or anything like that. I remember re-watching his segment on the NHL ALL ACCESS DVD over and over again.
The legend. 5 different goals in 1 game. In practice he once carried two trainers on his back, caught a puck on his stick in mid air and stick handled in a beauty on the tendie just for fun. And of course "The Immaculate Deception" from the gold medal game in 02. Saw him play. He was a bull. Unstoppable force.
Only his own body could stop him.
Wayne Gretzky: best player in the world from 1981-1986
Mario Lemieux: best player in the world from 1987-2003
Enough said
For whatever reason was never a Pens fan and once had a boss that was diehard Pens fan. But always had great respect for Mario and got to see a bit of his playing days towards the end of his career. But just more and more amazed at all he went through and still put up those kind of numbers. Insane! Especially after coming back from radiation and surgery for cancer. definitely one of the most superhuman athletes regardless of sport. Not sure if there is even a close second after seeing this vid.
My favorite player of all time!
The best hands in hockey history. No doubt about it. I haven't seen anyone that is even close.
I Remember Watching Mario As a Flyers Fan And He Was Just Amazing To Watch Not Once But Twice!
I have a great story for this video! In the 1996/97 regular season my Dad took my Brother and I to our first Red Wings hockey game in Detroit. It was supposed to be the last game Mario Lemieux would ever play in Detroit since he was planning on retiring. We are huge Red Wings fans, but Mario Lemieux was my Brothers favorite player, and it was a cool coincidence that the first game we ever went to ended up being against the Penguins. I'm pretty sure that Detroit fans gave Mario a nice send off, but it's been so long that it's hard to remember. The Red Wings won the game, and we were excited to get to see Jagr and Lemieux play. We would talk about how we saw Mario Lemieux play his last game in Detroit for years after that. Fast forward to the 2000/01 season and we hear Lemieux is coming out of retirement to play again. It was kind of funny, I remember thinking "Well so much for the seeing Lemieux's last game in Detroit story". I didn't think I would ever tell that story again until I saw this video today and thought about it. It's not really an exciting story, but it was a fantastic match-up to watch live for 11 year old me at the time. I will never see that much amazing talent on the ice ever again. The 96/97 Red Wings team and Lemieux, Jagr, and Francis. I wish I could find a recording of that exact game so that I could watch it again.
I just looked it up, the game was on February 27, 1997 at Joe Louis Arena. The Red Wings won the game 4 - 1. Goals were scored by Konstantinov, Federov, Lidstrom, and Larinov. The one goal for the Pens was scored by Greg Johnson. At the gift shop my Dad bought me a Phoenix Coyote puck with the original "Kachina style coyote" logo on it because I thought it looked really cool :)
@@Adam202 Greg Johnson was traded from Detroit to Pittsburgh at the 1997 trading deadline for Tomas Sandstrom, Detroit would go on to win the Cup.
@@matthewdaley746 It sure is strange that Greg Johnson died yesterday after we had both just mentioned him only days ago. RIP.
@@Adam202 A sign from the source that everything is preordained.
@@Adam202Tough break.
One of the greatest “what ifs” ever BUT STILL one of the greatest ever as well. Pretty crazy. Legendary numbers but if he was fully healthy he would have 3,000 points, 1,000 goals and 2,000 assists and at least another cup. Not even a joke
You are so far off. The problem is that nobody understands how Mario's points were dictated by nothing other than powerplays. It didn't matter how healthy he was or who his teammates were, if the Pens didn't get a bunch of powerplays, he couldn't score big. It rings true throughout his entire career. In his two highest scoring seasons the Pens had 491 and 500 powerplays. In Wayne's two highest scoring seasons the Oilers had 295 and 341 powerplays. McDavid scored 153 points on 275 powerplays. When the Pens had fewer than 400 powerplays, Mario never actually scored more than 122 points or was on pace for more than 144 points. Wayne's four 200+ seasons all came with the Oilers receiving between 293 and 341 pp. Mario obviously would have scored more points playing more games, but nowhere near what you think. There simply wasn't enough powerplays for him to score that many points.
I always thought Mario was no. 1.
Now I remember why.
Mario Lemieux is hands down the MOST important athlete in Pittsburgh history. The city has a rich history in sports, with plenty of greats, but in my opinion Mario is the absolute best and most important if only because of his dedication to keep the team in this great city of Pittsburgh
No discussion of how Mario bought the team?
The Pens owed him about $32.5 million in 1999, when they filed bankruptcy; he proposed that they convert the cash to equity and he buy the team. Mario was the first player-owner in the NHL, and not only brought back the team from bankruptcy but insisted that they fully pay off their debts, which they did.
I like how you admit you weren't a fan of the guy. But despite that, you speak well of him. Shows some integrity on your part which I appreciate
As a die hard Flyers fan, Super Mario is the undisputed greatest of all time. If he wasn't so injury prone because of the game he played and didn't get cancer on top of that, he'd have passed all of Gretzky's records no doubt in my mind. Not to mention he was a true 5 tool player who actually threw his body around and played defense. Something Gretzky could never do.
Gretzky didn't throw his body around because he was so fragile.
Well said
@@theodorebelmont7922 I saw a video of Gretzky fighting to the tune of, "My Way," by, Frank Sinatra, it was painful to watch.
Gretzky was protected.
@falungongboy He was the face so of the NHL, of course he was protected.
Thank you for the history lesson. New to hockey and truly appreciate the stories that made the game what it is today.
The reason why I think Lemieux is better than Gretzky, is because Lemieux didn't have a team in his early years in Pittsburgh. Gretzky had Curry, Messier, Coffee. Lemieux was the most dominating player to ever play the game. And he was dominating the game with a broken back.
LMAO Curry... :D (come on it is Kurri, out of a respect towards a great player I just had to point out this, no offense).
Curry .....he's not food.
Well maybe to a bear .
@@ssc00p Lemieux had Coffey the first time.
No he did not Coffey was traded to Pittsburgh
Some of those points totals made me laugh out loud. What a champ.
i will always say Mario was the best player of all time. If he did not have the issues he had health wise his records would be the ones we look at now as the goalposts to beat for current players. Not to mention in Mario's early years he did not have the best team behind him to begin with and he was still putting up insane totals. To me top 3 players of all time Mario Lemieux Wayne Gretzky Bobby Orr but that is just my viewpoint on things. I get some heat for not putting Wayne first but i firmly believe mario is the best player to lace up skates and i doubt we will ever see someone of his calibre again.
You forgot to mention that during the years he couldn't tie his skates he also almost never practiced with the team. So here's a guy that can't practice or work out much at all, he has to stand on flights, get someone to tie his skates for him and just dominates the league.
That year he got cancer and had 51 points in 16 games to win the art Ross was just crazy. When he came back he was trailing LaFontain by 12 points in the scoring race. He ended up winning the Art Ross by 12 points. To me he is #1, and would just love to play in todays league. A league where he's not hooked, slashed and held constantly. He's in a class of his own talent wise. Also an incredible human being, watch the youtube documentary on Kevin Stevens to see what type of a man Mario is.
When I get the question about Lemieux or Gretzky, I usually say that I see it as Gretzky had the best understanding of the game ever, but Mario had the best talent. Gretzky was talented for sure, and to me he is no. 2, but watching Lemieux play it just feels like he had that pure talent no one else had ever in the history of the game. He was mad dominant when he was at his peak.
Thank you for this video. He's always powered through obstacles and many health issues. Instead of thinking how great he would be if he didn't have health issues, I personally think he's even greater for how much he achieved in the wake of constant hurdles.
I feel as if I say this a lot, but thank you. Super Mario was just lights out.
In the 92-93 season after the cancer diagnosis and missing those games for the radiation treatments, Lemieux watched Pat LaFontaine (having his career year) pass him in the scoring race. LaFontaine was trailing Lemieux at the time of the cancer diagnosis and ends up 12 points ahead by the time Mario returns to the ice. He was scoring 2-3 points most nights, but on the same nights, Lemieux was putting up 3-5. It was an amazing time to be a hockey fan!
Kids will never understand how good Mario was.
Well done. I am a Pens fan and Mario is my favorite player in hockey, not because of his numbers, but because of the fact he was never without some form of pain. He is a beast and from what I understand, still one of the most approachable players still involved with the game.
Greatest one on one goal scorer EVER. He was like a thorough-bred horse!!!
Lemieux played at that level while being injured and in pain and being viciously hit by everyone. Also put-up those numbers on a stinker team for years and years. Didn't come-up with a team that could win the cup without him and did after he left like Gretzky and the Oilers, while never being hit. Hands down the greatest ever.
Absolutely The Great(est) One in my opinion.
Second.
@@ryancalhoun2910 #1
@@tomgriffin7019 he's not better than Gretzky. No way.
@@ryancalhoun2910 I saw both of them play live and in person. From 1987 to around 1993 no player was even close to Mario and Wayne wasn’t old yet. Many people agree with me. Also in 1989 there were 21 teams in the league and all 21 general managers were asked which player they would choose to start a franchise. 17 of 21 chose Mario Lemieux. But everyone has their opinion.
@@tomgriffin7019 Yeah, I saw them both play and I think the opposite. Many people agree with me.
The most insanely talented player I have ever laid eyes on... its not even close. Words cannot describe how unstoppable this man was. He did things with the puck that have never been done and will never be duplicated again...ever. I got his rookie.
The return of Mario was one of the greatest moments in hockey history
The years he was player, owner, and essentially coach as well, that was fun to see.
I always thought of Mario as the best ever.
So you've always been wrong.
We’re lucky enough to have lived through some of the absolute greatest players in history, Gretzky, Lemieux, Crosby, Ovi, Yzerman, Brodeur, the list goes on
How are you rating Brodeur over Hasek?
In a alternate world where lemieux somehow stayed healthy i think he crushes gretzkys numbers.
in goals yes, but idk if he does in points or assists
@King Carriere yeah but we dont know that for certain, so gretzky is still number 1 in my eyes.
And if Gretzky ( without his back injury) had remained an Oiler for 20 years he gets easily 3200 points plus 500+ playoff points= 3700.
@King Carriere Not at all. Lemieux is a distant 2nd on the greatest ever list. Gretzky far superior in every way.
@@ryancalhoun2910 eh we will never know
He had the best eye-hand coordination of any player I ever saw. The goalie would be right against the post and Mario would bury it practically from the goal line. It was really amazing to watch.
Another thing worth considering is that Gretzky played on a stacked team for pretty much his entire career, whereas Mario played on some pretty awful teams before winning those two cups
And Gretzky, no matter how good, how smart he was, couldn't dominate a match like Lemieux could.
burny6666 I disagree as Gretzky changed his game once he got all the great talent around him. Remember he scored 92 goals in 81-82 before Messier, Coffey and Kurri were in their prime so Gretzky was dominating games by scoring. Then he shifted to passing to dominate as he had a ridiculous 163 assists in 85-86. If Gretzky were on worse team in the 80’s, he would have scored 80-90 goals every year.
Not only Gretzky had great players around him but he was off limits for contact his entire career. While most players respected Mario as well he definitely had more thrown at him and even dropped the gloves a few times. My favorite was late in his career Jay McKee took a run at him at center ice. While Mario stumbled a little it was Jay that hit the ice hard and left the game with what was later disclosed as a concussion. Pretty sure the game was in Buffalo and Sabres were wearing those red third jerseys... some things are never forgotten.
Mark Warnes Gretzky was off limits just like any superstar of that era as each team had their Marty McSorely to protect them and give him room to skate. Yzerman readily admits that Bob Probert opened up the ice for him to do anything. Brett Hull always talks about Tony Twist giving him room to skate. The problem is that The Penguins did a crummy job of protecting Lemieux early in his career as I remember being a Flyers fan and playing them 7 times a year.
@@chrisolivo6591 yeah, but Gretzky got protection from the referees more then anyone. There was just an unwritten rule that u didn't touch Wayne. Plus, Mario was so big, I think players didn't mind playing Mario more physical since he was bigger then 99% of them.
As a young Red Wings fan in the 90s I somehow didn’t pay much attention to Mario and didn’t have a particularly positive opinion of him (probably biased by my dad). But wow I never realized all the injuries and health issues he had and am just now realizing how insane his point totals were given all the time he missed for various reasons.
Best player ever imo
Great vid, I wish you also talked about some of his international achievements. I'll never forget him letting a pass go between his legs to fool everyone and Karyia just taps it into an empty net.
Man, I'm so old! I remember having the 2002 gold medal champions team pic as a poster in my room as a teen.
They lost the first game against the Swedes with Cujo in net. They went with Brodeur for the second game and never looked back.
Few things I feel you should have mentioned: #1)The Pens were really bad his first four years, yet he still put up great numbers. #2)Gretzky had other HOFers on that Oilers team. #3) Gretzky never took anything close to the physical abuse thistle Lemieux faced. #4) how in the world did Lemieux not win Hart in his 199 point season? Many think it’s because he’s French Canadian. 5) Oilers won a Cup without Gretzky, Gretzky never won a Cup without Oilers, that says a lot to me. Mario squashes Wayne like a grape.
Mario had the best hands the game has ever seen. He was a magician with the puck....love watching his highlight reels.
I feel like there's not even close to being enough highlight videos of him. It seems that most I've seen focus on the same 10 goals maybe.
There was so many sneaky goals he scored that I never see in highlights. Banking the puck off players in front of the net while he was behind the goal, or to the side.. Banking off the goalies pads or blocker and in. He did so many things that people thought were luck, but he just saw different ways to score. He was the man
Aahh, a Mario video... been waiting for this, but didn't expect it today. Would argue any time that at his peak he was the most dominant player ever, period. too bad he wasn't completely healthy for than those first 5 or 6 seasons.
The injury to Kevin Stevens didn't help.
I love how you perfectly encapsulated what makes Mario Lemieux, SUPER MARIO
And yes he was the greatest goal scorer of all time. He undressed Hall Of Fame defenceman and made them look like peewees.
He constantly would score from sharp angles and behind the net on purpose.
Guy even scored a goal straight off a face-off
Just ask him, on second thought, don't.
Best video breakdown I've seen so far explaining how "Super" Mario really was....
Mario is the GOAT!
Lemieux was not only the game's most gifted player, he was also it's most dominant. Mario was Gretzky's only peer, they were in a league of their own.
He had all of Gretzkys traits but at 6 4, unfortunate about the cancer and back issues but still top 2 ever
Yeah, because of his length he could easily sweep the puck out away from defenders and could use his length on defense at which he was quite good.
@@falungongboy
Think about it how teams felt back then. First Mario comes, you can't take the puck away from him. Needed atleast 2 guys. And before the 2nd got there, he'd pass it to Jagr, who was just as crazy good in protecting the puck. Just an insane pair.
@@falungongboy Lemieux looked slow because he had very long strides.
@@jeffreykaufmann2867 Talent wise : Passing, Gretzky 10, Lemieux 9. Shooting, Gretzky 9, Lemieux 10. EQUALS. IT'S OFFICIAL.
Great video. Lemieux was my favorite player growing up, even before Pens ever won a cup. You mention that Orr said Lemieux was the best player he ever saw, it reminded me how Gretzky also said that. Remember the Canada Cup goal and he said he Passed to Lemieux "cause he was a better shooter than me".
96-97 it's amazing that a poor season by his standard is an absolutely amazing season by almost anybody else's standards.
I’ve watched both Gretzky and Lemieux in their prime. You can definitely make a case for both players. I say, Mario was the prototype player of the modern game. A huge guy who skates like a ballerina and his stick work was like a violin. As Don Cherry notes, guys were using the blade of their stick like a knife. His jersey was stuck to him, they had to cut it off of him. That’s how much slashing, jabbing he took night after night. Mario fooling Bourque and netting a goal after Adam Graves as a Ranger, broke his wrist. Unbelievable.
The other teams looked like they where pilons when Mario played. Going through 5 players and scoring was normal for him.
He could pass or shoot and make the other team look silly.