The Magnificent One | The Story Behind Mario Lemieux
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- čas přidán 16. 07. 2021
- Mario Lemieux is unlike any other player in NHL history. He was a generational talent. His career arc was straight out of Hollywood. And he had an aura about him that suggested no challenge, on or off the ice, was too daunting. So how did an introvert from a humble neighbourhood in Montreal become Super Mario not only on skates but also in a suit and tie?
Written and Narrated by: John Matisz (@MatiszJohn | Twitter)
Produced and Edited by: Zack Underhill (@ZackUnderhill | Instagram)
Thumbnail Design by: Daniel Long (@DloSupreme | Instagram)
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#MarioLemieux #PittsburghPenguins #NHL - Sport
Tanking for this guy was the play of the century.
For real
big brain move
No truer statement has been said. Tanking for Lemieux genuinely saved the franchise in so many ways it’s kinda wild. His elite play and winning two cups, a player who continued to allow his pay to be deferred and stay with the team while they had their financial issues, and then flipping that into ownership to keep the team in place and then produced three more rings as an owner. Genuinely incredible to think just how ingrained into every success a team has had as Mario is with the Pens. Wild to think the team probably doesn’t exist, at least not as the penguins in Pittsburgh, without landing the guy and instead the dude brings five cups and genuinely becomes the team savior.
I mean, "Le mieux" translates to "the best"... rien à ajouter.
Does it really ???? That is awesome !!!!
the most talented hockey player of all time
No doubt
Him or bobby for sure
Gretzky
@@mrfake675 lol
@@Nick-ke8nt 215 pts in a season. LOL
Mario was absolutely terrifying. He made hockey look rather easy in the rough and tumble era. He was a constant target of the hack, hook and slash game and turned into a masterpiece of athletic art and that's what seperates him from the pack. He showed us what hockey could be. The things this man could do at 75% health were absolutely jaw-dropping. At that size, those puck skills, that agility and finesse and ability to control the tempo shouldn’t be possible.
💯 💯 💯
Wish I was around to watch him. Best I've seen are Sid and McDavid but Mario always fascinated me with his Size and Skill
He was the best player to ever play. I truly believe that. Le Magnifique #66 🐐
@@stmichelarchange9042
Exactly! Bobby Orr was the 1st and best player of all time.
@@ZaghzackioI'm a Caps fan, born in 1983. I grew up hating the Penguins but even I acknowledge Mario is probably the best player I ever saw play. His combination of size, strength, finesse and vision was otherworldly. His ability to undress defenders and make goalies look stupid is unparalleled to this day.
I'll just leave this here...
51 points in 16 games immediately after coming back from CANCER
The GOAT!!!!!!!! 🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐
As a Flyers fan (for better or worse) I'm obligated to hate the pens. But I've got nothing but total respect for Super Mario. Absolutely a classy player and person.
His back was literally broken for carrying the pens throughout his career.
If the Pens did not draft Mario there would not be a team there today.
100% facts
It got pretty bad after he left too, then came Sidney Crosby
No argument here
As a Penguins fan who has held the cup, met Mario multiple times, paid parking tickets at the same time as Sidney Crosby..Mario is Hockey Jesus and the greatest athlete in Pittsburgh history (and even with people like Mean Joe Greene and Roberto Clemente it's not even close).
Edited to add: He's also a tremendous human being, which probably is even more important. Nothing but class 24/7
You're right. Lemieux is the best athlete to ever play any sport.
@@earlviney5212 He'll Always Be A Pittsburgh Penguins Legend As The Greatest Hockey Player Of All Time 🏒🥅💛🖤🥇🏆🐐⛸️🚨🐧!
Sports Jesus. The Penguins should be grateful for Mario
He was much more gifted than 99. 99 had a cast of all stars when he was winning cups. Lemieux had Jagr. He was a insane talent based on number of games played to points produced. He was absolutely insane.
I agree: ive met him once and took advantage pf being french speaking in an english speaking crowd, which made him smile. Human qualities off the charts
The most offensively talented and dynamic player of all time. His final junior year was unthinkable, 21 hat tricks, five, eight-point games, 50-goals in 27 games, 61-game point streak, and won the scoring race by 112 points. Including playoffs his totals for that year are 334 points in 84 games. Just sick!
His number should have been retired from Juniors instead of Crosby.
@@kozmeetorez or maybe both of them you clown. Have you seen Sid’s numbers
@@kareemthekicker5981 clown??? Sid holds no major records in the that league. nor is he the all time leader in any category. Plenty of players have outshined him statistically. Including Mario, who dam near got 300 points in a season.
21 hat tricks is next level. Even for the Q in the 80’s. Insane.
@@kareemthekicker5981Sid's above average, but overrated.
If 66 played 80 game seasons he would have scored 850 goals in his first 13 seasons, amassed 1100 goals and 2000 assists for his career. He is the best forward in the history of the game.
he was never getting 2000 assists , healthy or not
@@8799crosby I don't know. Gretzky almost had 2000 himself (1,963). If Mario had a full career like Gretzky and scored at the pace he did when he was healthy, it's plausible. I believe Mario was good enough to match Gretzky's records and potentially surpass them. So, in that context, he would have had a chance. Not saying absolutely he does it but it's not as impossible as it sounds. Mario was the only other player who could match Gretzky's 200 point seasons.
@@jbellflower83 lemieux has 125 more assists than games played ,gretzky has close to 600 more assists than games played ,lemieux was never getting 1800 assists let alone 2000 .lemieux alsp never scored at gretzkys pace when it came to assists
Greatest goal scorer of all time
Et si Mario Lemieux avait eu une equipe toutes etoiles comme Gretzky en avait une a Edmonton,c est lui qui aurait tout les records de la LNH.
As a Pens fan Sid has held the burden of living up to Mario and exceeded expectations…however, the game wrecker Mario was will never be beat. He just outscored ya. We’re such a lucky franchise!
Imagine how much more his legacy would've grown had it not been for cancer, injuries and early retirement? It's clear Mario wasn't the same player after he came back from retirement and having gone through chemo, other injuries, and it was a farewell tour after 2000. The same thing happened to Crosby those 2 years he lost because of concussion issues, but fortunately for him, he came back as the same player and won two more cups and two Conn Smythe's.
Still wouldn’t reach Gretzky numbers
@@mike04574the surprising thing is Lemieux actually would of witch is ridiculous. Reason being was Gretzky average point per game threw his career was around1.7 I think.Lemieux was averaging over 2.1 with back problems until he came back in the early 2000’s, when he dropped down to a more reasonable 1.5 ppg I believe. I wouldn’t count Lemieux not passing Gretzky if he was healthy.
Just think about this for a minute. Steve Yzerman, an undisputed Legend of the game, has 32 more career points than Mario Lemieux. 2 more Goals & 30 more Assists. However, Steve Yzerman has 599 more career games played than Lemieux does!!! (1,514 to 915). 599 GP is a respectable for a career!! And I'm in no way at all diminishing the accomplishments of Stevie Y. Just gives some really good perspective as to how RIDICULOUSLY good Mario Lemieux truly was.
This is a good honest take on it. Thank you. You're not trying to Inflate numbers, you're just reinforcing the impact he had on the game at the time.
When healthy, no player, I mean no player in the NHL history could dominate a game like Mario was able to do ! He had all the skills in the world with the frame of a giant and the strenght of a bull !
Just never threw a bodycheck or fought anyone, Like Jagr, all glory, no guts. When watching them, I feel like I'm watching an all-star game, no passion, no heart, just everybody look at me, aint I great.
@47tooter guy didn't play every game on one of his cup run because of debilitating back pain an needed teammates to tie his skates on the games he did play and was the best player on the ice everytime. He wasn't protected by the league and had to power through for his goals
@@47tootermental illness is sad, I feel sorry for you Mister, I know in Philly you're normal, but still, good luck
@@CharlieBravoTango His style is European, It stinks. They want no contact hockey , Girl hockey.
@@47tooterjust say you’re a Flyers fan and be done with it.
In my opinion,Mario's the greatest to ever play the game. Certainly,the most skilled. No doubt.
Most natural skill for sure
Gretzky still the greatest
Gretzky not the greatest. Sorry to burst your bubble. You obviously never played the game. Just watch the highlights.
How old are you ? Ever heard of a young fella by the name of Bobby Orr ? Even those who play the game agree no one will ever dominate the game like Mr. Orr
@@joedirt9600 You won't get an argument from anyone because everyone thinks you are re t arded
My older Brother would always get us two tickets for the home opener for my Birthday present. so it was safe to say that we were 2 of those 7,000 people showing up for those dismal pre-Lemuiex games. Well 1984 season home opener was the best Birthday present my brother ever gave me. Thanks Billy! Because of your love for your younger Brother & your love of NHL hockey I/We got to witness the start of Lemuiex's greatness from day one. Plus I got to meet the man a few times in person. So Thanks Bro. ❤
The GOAT
And now all the saving of the franchise paid off for him. In exchanging his back pay of around $26M he was owed in the team bankruptcy for equity and hammering out the purchase with his investment group it’s estimated that been the team sold a couple years ago to the Fenway group that Mario pocketed around $350M in the deal and he’s kept on as a minority shareholder. More than well deserved. Dude is undoubtedly the franchise savior in all possible ways from tanking to draft him to literally saving the team from liquidation or being shipped out.
Keep up the hockey videos! I'd like to see these features on players like Sundin, Iginla, The Sedins, Forsberg, Sakic, Lidstrom, Koivu, Gretzky, Howe, Orr, Messier, Roy, Yzerman. Maybe even some features on teams like the Avs and Wings in the 90's and early 2000's, Pens in the 90's, Oilers in the 80's.
Mario made us believe anything was possible and boy did he overcome a lot to be a champion, star, magnificent all time best.
GOAT
The Goat
7:30 the great play-by-play man, Dan Kelly, describing a Lemieux-Gretzky play in Canada cup... That is the purest of pure hockey experience for a fan.
1/9/23
Best player ever.
Shadow of giant. with scoring goal on first shot on goal and legend continues
New guy’s got a great narrator voice!
He sucks
Never in my 47 years have I seen a player dominate a sport like Lemieux dominated NHL hockey. The most special athlete I ever saw. The anticipation on his breakaway goals. You knew he would score. You just knew.
Many who are dismissing the story above. Need to explain the rationale behind giving Wayne Gretzky the Hart trophy as the MVP despite scoring 50 points less than Lemieux with 149 points (missed 16 games)
That is 50 more points by Mario Lemieux who missed the equivalent of 10.11 games if you count his 100 pm. ( the refs targeted Mario big time on the urging of Don Cherry)
Gretzky at 26 years old NEVER OUTSCORED MARIO LEMIEUX EVER EVER EVER AGAIN. Unless Mario was hurt then it was Gretzky only hope to win the Art Ross again.
So at 21 Mario was better than Wayne at 26. You could see how good he was going to be when they both played on the same line at the Canada cup. For many, the eye test gave the nod to Mario.
Mario outscored Gretzky on a points per game being the only player in nhl history retiring above 2 points per game. Almost a goal a game. Lots of talk about the great 8 Ovechkin ( love him) but Mario has a much higher goal per game ratio. 0.86 wild.
Mario had cancer, anyone here tried playing “anything” with cancer? Let alone the bloody NHL. On top of that his back was ruined he Couldn’t tie his own skates, he could never warm up or practice… for years and years. It robbed him sadly of most of his speed. He missed MOST OF HIS PRIME YEARS. WHERE HE COULD HAVE RACKED UP STATS A LA WAYNE GRETZKY. Mario didn’t play his prime. He played his first few years starting with THE WORST TEAM IN THE HISTORY OF THE NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE. THEY TANKED AND HAD NOTHING WHEN at 18 he started off his career. So 18 to 22 and three and half at the tail end of his career (only to save his team) 37.5 to 41. All detrimental to his “stats”
His career spanned 23 years despite never playing a 1000 games. He played 915 games ONLY NEVER REALLY HEALTHY an average of 39-40 games a year spread over 23 years. The last years brought his average per game down to 1.9 not bad in the NHL to score 2 points a game from 18 years old kid to a 41 year old geezer scoring at a 2 points clip (almost)
Mario is just different. I am absolutely blown away by the fact he never played a full season. There will never be another player like him. Literally only Crosby can come close. Thank god our raggedy Pens got the No. 1 pick that year. What a match made in heaven. Mario is like no one else to us.
Will never be another Mario.
these videos r so good and need way more views
C'est MAGNIFIQUE!
When the Pens won their first Stanley Cup. Mario only played games and didn't practice. He needed a trainer to tie up his skates because he couldn't bend forward to do so himself. He would have to grab his pant leg to help himself over the boards and couldn't even sit for plane rides, but despite all of that was still the greatest player in the NHL.
The Score posts hockey content now? I like this
love Gretzky but Mario is better. Gretzky is the goat overall as best ambassador for hockey and gifted skills but Mario was the most dominant talent to ever play.
What do you mean he was the most dominant talent to play?
Stop
Nonsense power play specialist for much of his career. He matched Gretzky for (portions of) 3 seasons
I am the most dominant player of all time
@@kgarba9253 Marios line mates were 3rd liners at best. Wayne had studs.
The crazy thing is, after missing over 2 months with chemo and surgeries, Mario came back and had 51 points in 16 games. That has to be the most superhuman thing I've ever seen in any sport.
No one was better than PRIME Mario. He is the GOAT
I couldn't even imagine if lemieux didn't miss all of those games how much more goals he would have had"!
He would have the record for most goals if he didn't miss all those games. No doubt
@@stephenwise8938 exactly
Man I love this series. Even if it's about a sport I don't even follow
great job
The best ever. Missed over 500 games due to injuries and health problems, yet managed to score 690 goals. Would've scored over 1000 goals if healthy.
this is probably the most canadian accent ive heard on this channel
The Canada Cup appearance made me a fan for life
MY IDOLS
The Great One will always be the GOAT, but The Magnificent One wasn't far behind. As far as talent offensively no one's had more imho. I'm a lifelong Red Wings fan & Lemieux has always been my favorite player. He's the only player in history you can speak of in the same breath as Gretzky. Had he stated healthy he'd be #2 in everything & probably #1 in goals. It was a privilege to get to watch this legendary hockey god lace em up. #66 should be retired league wide 🙌.
The best pure goal scorer in NHL History, period ....
Let's go hockey!
Malkin should get a statue for one of his goals to , he skated threw the entire teams more then once.
team canada had Gretzky and Lemieux on the same line that is insane.
They literally still have never clinched the cup in Pittsburgh- 2021
Truly sad. Season tickets 1967-2017 and it’s the one thing I always wanted to see in person. Still, watching all of Mario’s career and most of Crosby’s, has been rewarding, especially after the torture of the 70s and 80s. LET’S GO PENS!!!
I dont care about numbers. Lemieux was the most exciting player ever that what it's all about.
Wouldn't check or fight but was exciting ? I got angry watching him fall to the ice and look at the ref.
GOAT no questions asked. Sorry Wayne.
The 'what if' GOAT
Gretzky, the " what is" GOAT.
Never realized how tall Mario was.
The best hockey player of all time.
Honestly I even think the Great One would second the motion, Prime Mario is the greatest hockey player ever. Sub Prime Mario is the second best ever lol.
I’m a Ranger fan but if you love the sport, you secretly love all the players.
I just loved watching him play even when he destroyed us 😂
On his first goal he picks Ray Bourque's pocket. Classic!
And said after the game "i always wanted to do that to Raymond!", he was already imperial at 18. He's unparalleled.
11:31 What is up with the mention of Funkadelic's "Maggot Brain" album in the article about Lemieux? Can't find the article on Google. I need to know!!
Getting radiation treatment in the morning, hopping on a private jet, going into your biggest rival's home and putting up two points that night is the most rockstar shit that'll ever happen I don't care. 🖤💛
Mario Lemieux The G.O.A.T🐐🏆🥇🤴👑🏒🥅🚨🐧⛸️🖤💛
Best ever
And Peter Forsberg was all that combined. And a defense giant.
Forsberg is a close second. I take Forsberg over Gretzky, I don’t care.
Super Mario is the greatest to me!
This dude embarrassed 1st ballot Hall of Famer's regularly.
Yeah that's right...
Mario is the best ever
Lemieux is the 'best' of all time. Nobody dominated like he did and played the game better. Gretzky may arguably be 'greater' due to a longer career and more accomplishments. But peak against peak, nobody played hockey better than Mario.
His ability to score making the best players in the best league look silly or just make them look bad.
Some goals he fooled the goalie so bad it was like a slam dunk into the empty net. Or make a goalie open his legs and go five hole while the game was at full speed.
The Story Behind: Shohei Ohtani please. 🙌
too early. at least let him finish this historic season he's on.
Best of all time. I don’t care what anyone else’s says. If he wasn’t hurt all the time imagine what his numbers would have been. With that being said I can’t believe how horrible goalies were back then lol
You know why there is fewer hockey player from Quebec in the NHL? 3:34
Noti gang
Do one on Usain Bolt
@8:28
And Mr. Connor McDirty…
Mario and crosby made me a penguins fan. I don't follow the other Pittsburgh teams. There's something about those penguins.
We will never see a player as physically dominant as super mario
Physically ? He never threw a body check or fought ? He couldn't take a check or a bump without falling down.
He was dominate as long as nobody could touch him and he could just score goals and look great.
@@47tooter he scored goals with entire teams draped all over him, you never got to watch him in his prime clearly. Best player ever
Mario is the closest thing there is to god to me, hes my idol, for as tough as he was, beating cancer, playing through the back injury during the streak and everything else lets be honest here, Mario was one of the biggest divers and actors there ever was in the game and i never understood it. Hed fight off 3 guys keep driving to the net and still score on one rush, then 5 minutes later hed flop like a fish at the touch of a stick, lay on the ice like he was hurt, wait for the play to go down then magically jump back up at center ice a cherry pick lead pass and go in on a break away
Nice commentary…but never mention Crosby in the same breath as Lemieux, Mario was a once in a generation player; Crosby was a great player to build your team around, Lemieux was an unbelievable player to build your Stanley Cup champion team around.
No captioning?
Mcdavid ❤
Gretzky ain't got nothing on lemieux" period!!! lemieux is the true great one.
61 NHL records, that's what Gretzky has on Lemieux.
anyone one with common sense, isn't going to talk about, 61 records, that gretzky has! instead they'll more or less focus on the fact being that lemieux missed way more games than gretzky did! so that in itself makes it beyond ridiculous to compare the stats between the two of them"..... plus gretzky was protected by the league" players couldn't even breathe on him, without the league coming down on them hard".... gretzky had a very unfair advantage"..... gretzky hardly got touched. there for, he didn't get injured much".... bcuz the league seen to that".... has far has telent goes, most of the ex players that ive spoken to over the years.... and ive spoken to a lot of them, over the year's....lemieux unanimously comes out on top" in their opinion!..... gretzky was the golden boy.... as for me, I take lemieux over gretzky all day long"....
one of the ex players who said this in my presence was the immortal Bobby orr"....
just like shady Brady the greatest scripted goat of all times, was the face, chosen one, of the NFL..... @ the end of the day all sports are fixed/scripted".... has long has gambling/ Vegas is involved it will always be the way.... all entertainers are are actor's".... Hollywood isn't just in Los Angeles's, Hollywood extends as far as all of the grid iron of the NFL....
Anyone out there thinks the Great Kareem Abdul Jabar is a better player than Michael Jordan? Didn’t Abdul Jabar outscored Jordan by 6000 points? Yes! But to anyone watching the games, THE EYE TEST Will show you that Michael Jordan IS the best player, despite scoring less points by a substantial amount than Abdul Jabar.
So just like anyone watching old footage of games or highlights, involving Gretzky and/or Lemieux can see for themselves who is the better player. Unless you’re eaten alive by your political biases and hatred towards a certain segment of the population, the very same principle (Jabar vs Jordan) is present here. Quality over quantity
I use to be a hockey player and a devoted hockey fan for 50 years.
I watch and loved both players. Both great great players. Lots and lots and Lots of 9 points games for the “great one “ in 10-1 routs. The Edmonton oilers loved to run up the score. Unlike 7 points in a 7-6 game in a usual Mario game. Lemieux’s points mattered way more than Gretzky’s.
It seems to me Maria had more skill than Gretzky given his health conditions ect...
The breakaway move he does vs NYR (Richter?) at 12:27 is absolutely savage.
I have seen nearly every hockey highlight goal ever I’ve never seen anyone else ever do that move. Unreal.
💰
W Mario
Does anyone know where I can sell his hockey stick signed by him from '95? I have 3 but only want to sell one. I want to find some where or someone that will give me a good price. I've had them for 16 years I think and they hold a lot of sentimental value but I need money. I know they are worth a lot now since the guys a legend.
Back story I had the same cancer as him when I was 5 years old. I had Hodgkin's Lymphoma I had a lump on my neck that had to be removed and I was going through chemo. My dad was a cop and had a buddy that knew him. When he found out he wanted meet me, idk why a lot of people felt sorry for me I even got a Make-a-Wish years after I was already in remission. Anyway the Albuquerque Police Department flew my dad and me out to Pittsburgh and I got meet the Steelers run around on their field and stuff, and we hung out with Lemieux for a few days played in the hockey rink. I left Pittsburgh with a ton of signed sports stuff from both the Steelers and the Penguins. I have a signed Jager stick I think too. My dad has all the stuff and it's been years since I've seen I've seen the stuff since he's been saving it for me. The main things I will never forget are those hockey sticks.
MARIO IS JORDAN!! WAYNE IS LEBRON!
Mario is Jordan, Gretzky is Kareem Abdul Jabar
@@patrice5976 NOPE KAREEM IS GORDY HOWE
Jordan is Mario and lebron is wayne*
He played only 900 games! If he was 100% He would be second all time!
First
Lemieux is the GOAT even better than Gretzky. Bigger stronger physical just completely dominated didn't need teammates he can play 1-5 and dominate all alone. Jagr and Francis helped though lol
“Gretzky did a better job of using his teammates”. And that’s why 66 is greater. Mario played on a bad team for his first half dozen years, Wayne played on a team of all stars. Mario was at his best and healthy better than Wayne.
The greatest player was Bobby Orr!
Someone loves you...❤😎✊
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. JOHN 3:16
s
Anyone else the unvaccinated and Donald Trump line in the 1993 newspaper? Really odd.
Good eye...it doesnt make sense with the rest of the article either! Creepy!
SUPER MARIO for me was WAAAY better than Gretzky..
I do not care that he has 1000 less points. He is better than Gretzky
1143 less to be exact. LOL
@@shinybeast8946 And 542 less games lol, at Lemieux's points per game he would have beaten Gretzky's points & would have scored 1000 goals!
@@patientmental875 "Would have" doesn't count.
@@patientmental875rio’s 1.88 doesn’t beat gretzkys 1.92 so no he wouldn’t have beaten gretzkys points. Wayne had 2000 points in 856 games. Mario had 1723 in 915 that’s 300 less points than Gretzky in 68 more games.
@@thebullfighter6733 Lemieux's goals per game puts him at 1,092 goals I didnt add the assists which does put him 100 points less than Gretzky which is insane