Mario Lemieux
Mario Lemieux
Mario Lemieux, OC, CQis a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and current owner for the Pittsburgh Penguins. He played parts of 17 seasons with the National Hockey League'sPittsburgh Penguins between 1984 and 2006. Dubbed "The Magnificent One" or "Le Magnifique", he is widely acknowledged to be one of the best players of all time. A gifted playmaker and fast skater despite his large size, Lemieux often beat defencemen with fakes and dekes...
NationalityCanadian
ProfessionHockey Player
Date of Birth5 October 1965
CityMontreal, Canada
CountryCanada
Everybody I talked to - from my friends to my family and some of the players - really gave me a lot of support from the start. And that certainly made me feel good about trying to come back and be one of the best again.
Oh, I did stop smoking a long time ago.
I didn't speak English until I came to Pittsburgh.
Since the beginning, I always loved the game.
Hockey is a tough, physical game, and it always should be.
Red wine is a great accompaniment to meat.
My son, he is the reason I got involved. It's been a joy to be around him and teach him the stuff that I know, and to the other kids as well. When he started playing I wanted to be involved in his hockey career. It's a lot of fun for both of us.
Once I'm at the arena with the guys in the dressing room, and in the bus, and on the plane, I'm a player. And I sit in the back with the players and I play cards and try to take their money.
When I'm able to see the ice ahead of time when I get the puck, I'm able to make some pretty good plays.
When it comes to hockey, it's been in my blood since I was 3 or 4 years old. I love coaching the kids, especially at that level.
One thing I hate is people screaming at me. If you want me to do something, talk to me. When someone screams at me to hurry up, I slow down.
A month before the season I stop putting ketchup on my french fries.
We, as a league, must do a better job of protecting the integrity of the game and the safety of our players.
A month before the season, I don't order fries with my club sandwich.