Super Mario

Mario Lemieux in a game against the St. Louis Blues

 I just finished watching a documentary on Mario Lemieux and it never ceases to amaze me how good this guy was. Wayne Gretzky, by most people considered to be the greatest hockey player ever, holds no less than 61 individual NHL records and most of them will never be beaten. His stats speak for themselves. But when I look at those unbelievable records, I see a glimps of what Mario could have achieved had he only been healthy. Though he battled through cancer and back problems, just two of many ailments he faced in his career, he still managed to win the scoring title 6 times and guide the Pittsburgh Penguins to 2 Stanley Cups. The fact is, Mario Lemieux probably never played a single game at 100% after 1989.

As great as he was, we probably never saw him reach his full potential. If he had been able to play his whole career free from major injuries and illness, he would have destroyed every single one of Gretzky's records, just like he shattered Guy Lafleur's Quebec Major Junior Hockey League record with his 282 point season. He not only broke the record, he also anounced he would do it when he was drafted by Laval Voisins. He was 15 at the time.

If you ask me, Mario Lemieux is the greatest hockey player ever to play in the NHL.