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Published
January 2, 2001 The Columbia Chronicle Published in both print and online editions. |
Lemieux's return is what hockey needs
Mario Lemeiux was one of the greatest players to play in the NHL, and though he never realized his full potential because of the serous injuries that plagued him, he still put up amazing numbers during his 13 seasons. While hockey fans remember how dominant Lemieux was as a player up until three years ago when he retired, some may not know how truly amazing Mario Lemieux is. Lemieux was drafted first overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1984. As a rookie, he scored his first goal in his first game in his first shift on his first shot. That season, he scored 100 points and was named Rookie of the Year. Lemieux went on to win six scoring titles as well as numerous other awards. Most importantly, he led the Pittsburgh Penguins to two Stanley Cup championships. Turning the last-place Penguins into Stanley Cup Champions was the first time Lemieux saved the Penguins. In 1999, the owners of the Penguins went bankrupt, and tried to sell the team. The most likely buyer wanted to purchase the team with the intentions of moving it out of Pittsburgh. But Mario Lemieux stepped in, offering to buy the team with the intentions of keeping it in Pittsburgh. Lemieux used the $27 million that the team still owed him towards his purchase, and was able to organize the necessary investors to pay the rest. Lemeiux saved the Penguins, again. Recently, Penguins team captain and superstar Jaromir Jagr wanted to be traded to another team. He was frustrated, being a gifted right wing, but without a crafty center to set him up. The Penguins, while talented, are at .500 right now, and are only one or two players away from being a serious contender for the Stanley Cup. Mario Lemieux announces his plans to return to the NHL, and team morale is up. Penguins’ ticket sales are up. And needless to say, Jagr no longer wants to be traded. Mario Lemieux has scored the hat trick, saving the Penguins for the third time. Detractors may argue that Lemieux is 35, and will not be the same superstar that he once was, but they are wrong. “I’m not coming back to embarrass myself,” said Lemieux in a press conference on December 11. “That’s the last thing I would do. I wouldn’t come back unless I thought I could play at a high level...to try and regain the title of the best player in the world. It’s something I have the desire and passion to do.”
Lemieux’s comeback as a player makes for a great fairy-tale—the player-turned-owner who returns to the ice and leads his team to victory. But it also gives the NHL something it has lacked for a while: a dominant superstar. The league has many superstars—Jagr, Joe Sakic, and Brian Leetch to name a few—but it needs an icon. Lemieux fulfills that need—an exciting player who will draw fans not only to Penguins games, but also to the sport of hockey itself. |
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