If you didn’t already know by now, Bob Shanks LOVES hockey! Especially Canadian legends like Mario Lemieux.
Bob Shanks was 11 years old when Mario Lemieux helped Team Canada win gold against our arch rival USA at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake. He had previously helped Canada win the Canada Cup in 1987 and also went on to a World Cup of Hockey title in 2004. Let me tell you about the phenomenal player Super Mario was. Watching Magnificent Mario was a ride like no other. Buckle up and settle in my friends. Find your favourite chair with your favourite drink & your specs if you need ‘em. #ClassicallyFresh times await you.
Super Mario started skating at the tender age of 3 and excelled immediately. His older brother practiced with him and helped develop him in to the player that he was.
From age 7 to 15, Mario played minor hockey with a team called the Hurricanes. By the age of 19, Super Mario was drafted 1st overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins and was the talk of the hockey world.
First impressions are always key. On October 11th, 1984, Mario made his NHL debut against the Boston Bruins. On his first shift of the game, he stole the puck from legendary defenceman Ray Bourque and scored on his first NHL shot against goalie Pete Peeters. To be quite honest my friends, that’s how you do it.
Super Mario was a gifted playmaker and speedy on his skates despite his 6 foot 4, 230 pound frame. In just his second season, Magnificent Mario won the Lester B. Pearson Award as the most outstanding player, as voted by players around the league Mario won that award four times, the Hart Memorial Trophy (regular season MVP as voted by the Professional Hockey Writers Association) three times, and the Art Ross Memorial Trophy (regular season leading point-scorer) 6 times. Mr. 66 went on to lead the Pens to consecutive Stanley Cups in 1992 & 1993. Both years, he was awarded with the Conn Smythe Award as playoff MVP.
Midway through Mario’s career, he was diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma. Magnificent Mario had to undergo radiation and put up his dukes to battle the dreadful disease cancer is. Super Mario returned in record time and continued to be Magnificent Mario for several more seasons.
Battling health issues, he announced his retirement in 1997. Super Mario was immediately inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, bypassing the usual 3-year waiting period. Then in 1999, he purchased the then insolvent Penguins franchise, including their AHL affiliate Wilkes-Barrie Scranton Penguins. Super Mario is owner and chairman of the team. As the owner and chairman of the team, Super Mario made a triumphant return to the ice in 2000 and competed for five seasons.
But Mario continued to battle injuries. Throughout his 17-year career, he played in 70 or more contests in a campaign only six times. In fact, he never played an entire season without missing games due to injury.
After retiring for a second and final time in 2006, Magnificent Mario finished his NHL career with the seventh-most points all-time (690 goals & 1,033 assists). He is the only player in NHL history with more than 500 points to average over 2 points per game. Meanwhile, his goals per game of 0.754 ranks second behind only Mike Bossy (0.762). In his retirement, Super Mario continued to influence the Penguins as the team’s owner and a valuable mentor to Sidney Crosby. Mario and Sid played one season together before Lemieux’s final retirement. Something you may not be aware of is that Crosby & Lemieux used to be roommates. Lemieux was known to frequently have rookies on the team stay at his house while they got familiar with the area. What a heart of gold!
In 2009, Crosby led the Penguins to the Stanley Cup. And in doing so, Super Mario became the only person to win a Stanley Cup as both a player and owner. With the player-ownership tandem of Crosby and Lemieux, the Pens won two more Stanley Cup in 2016 & 2017.
In addition to owning the Pens franchise, Mario oversees the Mario Lemieux Foundation, raising over $8 million for cancer and new-natal research. He is also an inductee to Canada’s Walk of Fame (inducted in 2004) and is a member of the Order of Canada (inducted in 2010). What a #ClassicallyFresh career Magnificent Mario had. When I decided to write about Lemieux, I knew that I would discover what a fantastic figure he was both on and off the ice. Of all the amazing accomplishments Mario achieved, I want to share one that is my absolute favourite. Early in his career, Super Mario became the only player in NHL history to score 5 goals in 5 different ways in the same game. On December 31st, 1988 against the New Jersey Devils, he scored at even strength, on the power play, shorthanded, on a penalty shot and into an empty netter! What an absolute beauty! What a feat.
In his retirement, he is regarded as one of the best hockey players of all time. In his words, “For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be a professional hockey player. Since the beginning, I’ve always loved the game.”
Lemieux built his reputation on skating circles around defenders – head faking and deking his way to the net. In a similar way, Super Mario deked his way into millions of Canadian hearts and will always be revered as one of the greatest players to ever hit the ice. Simply magnificent!
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About Bob Shanks
I am the Canucks Autism Network's Top Fundraiser, having raised over $200,000 since I began in 2012. |