About Mario Lemieux
On October 5, 1965, Mario Lemieux was born in Montreal, Canada. He grew up playing hockey with his two siblings in a working-class home. In the 1983–84 season, he broke Guy LeFleur’s single-season league scoring record and was the Laval Voisons’ top scorer in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
NHL Draft
Lemieux spent his entire 17-year playing career with the Pittsburgh Penguins, who selected him first overall in the NHL entry draft in 1984. However, his career was divided into two phases: from 1984 to 1997, and again from 2000 to 2006 after coming out of retirement. Only three Hockey Hall of Famers have continued to play the sport after being admitted. He is one of them.
Career Accomplishments
Lemieux’s professional accomplishments include:
- 2 Stanley Cup victories
- won six Art Ross Trophies for top scorer in the NHL.
- won three Hart trophies and was named NHL MVP
- was an All-Star 10 times.
- was named the NHL’s Rookie of the Year in 1985, winning the Calder Trophy
- is one of only four players who have won five or more scoring titles in NHL history.
He was a member of the Canadian team that captured the 2002 Olympic Gold Medal in Salt Lake City.
Fighting Hodgkin’s Disease: Lemieux
Lemieux’s battle with Hodgkin’s Disease during the 1992–93 season will also be remembered in addition to all of his achievements on the rink. In January 1993, he received a Hodgkin’s disease diagnosis. He played on while receiving chemotherapy treatments, inspiring fans and admirers with his bravery.
Owning a penguin
Lemieux has remained involved with the Penguins after his playing days are over, helping the team’s ownership group secure a new arena in 2007 that would keep the team in Pittsburgh for the next 30 years.
He also assisted the Penguins in the same year’s playoff run, using some of the NH
