I think this is one of the most underrated highlights in both Lemieux's and Crosby's career as well as the history of the Penguins. It was so symbolic. Lemieux not only set up Sid for the goal but also set him up to be the future leader of the team and the league. One legend at the very end of his playing career passing the puck (and the torch) to a legend at the beginning of his career. I could watch this all day.
Mario was so good with his passing skills, he could take an average person and make them a great goal scorer. Look at all the people he set up in his career and made them 40 even 50 goal scorers during any season. Truly the best hands i've ever seen in the history of the NHL.
For us pens fan this gives us a raging boner. This is like Steve Yzerman receiving a pass from Gordie Howe. He passed the torch and Sid is holding it up high.
Damn this makes me miss the good old Lemieux days. Loved watching him play when I was in my teens. My first and biggest hero. He's right-handed aswell, which made me like him even more.
Lemieux retired during this season because of his health and stated he couldn't play at the elite level he was used to because of it. He ended the season with 22 points in 26 games.
I think it's funny how Mario is the manager and like the few games that he played for the penguins that season, they started winning. lol. this guy is a legend.
In this legendary season, Crosby had one assist to Mario Lemieux, Mario had 4 assists to Crosby, and together they helped another teammate 3 times. Crosby had 102 points in 81 matches at the age of 18. Lemieux had 22 points in 26 games at the age of 40. Legendary statistics.
Wow great job on the stats there. I remember that season very well but I was always curious as to how many goals Crosby and Lemieux were in on together.
@tags714 Lemieux was greatest player ever to play. He was phyiscally tough and much stronger than pretty boy Wayne. His 1700 points would be way above Gretzky's 2000 or so if he played more than less than half the amount of games that Gretzky played. (Not to mention the all-star talent that surruonded Gretzky in the 80's)
rob brown 1988-1989 48 goals, kevin stevens 4 straight seasons of 40 + goals, 2 seasons over 50 goals, jarmoir jagr, 1995-1996 60 + goals, 2000-2001 50 + goals, alexi kovalev 2000-2001 just shy of 50 goals do you want more? he could turn an avergae hockey player into a superstar because of his passing skills. Also, look how good these players were without him around them.
While I will not deny that a lot of Pens fans jumped off the wagon and jumped back on again (nothing I'm proud to admit), there were a lot more than 5k a night. The worst year we averaged 12k/game. Still nothing special, but people were still coming and rooting them on. You are absolutely correct in your second statement though, we should be called State of Champions now! Best of luck to the Phillies too, cause we know damn well the Pirates won't get it done lol.
Lemieux to Crosby I wish we had more than a handful of clips with these two. I wish Mario could’ve played until 2008 or 2009 ( would’ve been 43 or 44 same age as Jagr was, who put up 60 plus point seasons).
Have you ever played ice hockey? Lemieux had too put heat on that pass to get it through, and there was not as much room as you thought for crosby. That was a perfect touch on that puck at high speed.
is that Joe Micheletti? i noticed cause im a Rangers fan so i hear him all the time Lemieux was the 3rd greatest player ever in my book, of course trailed by the great Wayne Gretzky and the, to me, almost equally as great Mark Messier
I agree with you on brown, stevens, maybe jagr... but definetly not kovalev. KLS line - kovalev lang straka, lemieux and kovalev played rarely together.
Like DiMaggio and Mantle's career intersecting at the tail end. In 30 years, kids are going to look back wondering if their careers intersected...and going to get all jazzed knowing they did share the ice a bit one year.
True. Not only did he pass the torch in skill, it looks like he passed the torch for injury cause Crsoby played like 20-30 games with an injured ankle and this season he missed 28 games. Hopefully though he really won't get injured like Mario becuase Mario didn't get injured who knows what would happen. For all i know he could've been the "great one" without all the injurys
i'd usually take a Canadian over a Russian anyday, but Ovie plays on the edge, kind of like Bure did, Ovie a little more on edge, but after a while, Bure just went out and took matters into his own hands, and did something about it. Ovie the same way.
please explain to me how Wendell Young comes to mind? He was a goalie for the pens. We're talking about Lemieux and how good he was with his passing ability to set up people and make them superstars.
@cpaquin11 When I said he didn't have a 50 goal season before lemieux, i meant because he didn't play on Mario's line prior to the 1995-1996 NHL season. Look at his early career, not bad, but definitely not grerat. After playing on Lemieux's line, he had a break out career.
@BabbarKhalsaZindabad Plus, Mario retired the first time with a points per game of over 2, think about if he had been able to continue and be fully healthy during the majority of years he played. He could have surpased Gretzky. Trouble is we will never know.
Had Gretzky retired after the same number of games as Lemieux did the first time, Gretzky would have had a 2.4 PPG. Had Gretzky retired after his first 915 games (as Lemieux did the 2nd time), Gretz would have finished with a 2.3 PPG average.
@cpaquin11 When I said he didn't have a 50 goal season before lemieux, i meant because he didn't play on Mario's line prior to the 1995-1996 NHL season. Look at his early career, not bad, but definitely not great. After playing on Lemieux's line, he had a break out career.
@cornboy111 Kovalev had his best years playing together with Lang and Straka. But Lemieux DOES make his linemates look better. Rob Brown is a good example.
Mario wasn't Sid's hockey hero, Steve Yzerman was. And no, not anyone could have made that goal. Ask anyone who has ever played with a Lemieux, a Crosby, a Gretzky. It is a lot harder than it looks to play with those guys.
Had Gretzky retired after the same number of games as Lemieux did the first time, Gretzky would have had a 2.4 PPG. Had Gretzky retired after his first 915 games (as Lemieux did the 2nd time), Gretz would have finished with a 2.3 PPG average.
