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I dont know if there are any hockey fans out there. I felt the need to create a thread for the greatest hockey player of all time. Mario Lemieux. I know what your all going to say " oh gretzky is the great one" This is a common misconception. Yeah wayno has a pretty resume, but has not done nearly as much as the tru great one "66"
yeah wayno has the 2057 pts, and 1963 assists, and numerous stanley cups. Every team he has played on he also had in every season more than 5 NHL allstars to assist him. Lemueix has 1500 points and 1000 assists. Now lets look at the underlying story. He came into a team that was last in the NHL for 3 consecutive years, in 1986 pittsburgh was going to sell the penguins, but in 1984 when mario made his debut season, the Pens made it to the playoffs, they continued gradual improvment every year, never missing the playoffs again untill 1997. He took them to two consecutive cups, and did so with fair to average players. He made other players look like hockey Gods as he assisted them into greatness

He missed 3 years of Hockey to lukemia. He conqured lukemia and returned to Hockey as great as ever before. He retired in 99 only to return ounce more in 2001 and save the Penguins again, he bought them out so they could stay in Pa. When he returend for his second time when ever he could play and illness diddnt plague him, he was the points leader. So yeah the stats may prove gretzky the great one, but if lemuiex never developed cancer he would have deffaintly had the stats in his corner, eigther way he has done far more than any other hockey player and rises to be one of the finest athletes of all time

I agree, and it has nothing to do with the fact that I'm a Pittsburgh fan (all sports).

well u can guess if im a hockey fan or not

Lemiuex is one of the greats.

Mario is no doubt is one of the greats. Is he the greatest ever I dont know. He sure owned the Sharks whenever he played against them.

yeah well pretty much everyone owned the sharks, back when Lemuiex was still playing consistantly. Heres a peice of trivia about Lemuiex. THis may have forshadowed his greatness. In his first NHL game, on his first shift, on his frist shot, he scored his first goal. He is also the only player to score a goal every possible way in a single game.

one of the most underrated hockey player:
Owen Nolan

im not a fan but in my opinion he's great.

Yeah he never really got the attention when he was in his prime with the Sharks. He was a lot like Jarome Iginla in that he could score, pass, hit and was a great goon when he felt like it.

i heard mario might have to sell the pings

well he doesnt have to, but he says if they dont get a stadium he is going to. The Pens were supposed to get a stadium before the steelers and pirates. Pens have the oldest arena in the NHL. Pittsburgh has the worst fans in all of sports. Mario saved this team, and brought them stanley cups, and now there shitting all over him. saying he came back just for the money, when he is making the bare minimum possible in the NHL

I dont think Nolan was underated. He got his dues,maybe not as much as deserved,but the NHL is plagued with players who dont get the credit they deserve. He is defaintly getting them now.

hey and mario also won the gold medal for canada we cant forget about that.

lemieux has always been my favourite hes the greatest player besides gretzky

Well, at least now I know what the 66 stands for. And Shadow King--don't go giving Lemieux all the credit for Canada's medal--HE DIDN'T DO IT ALONE.....

yea...if anything gretzky should get all the credit for canadas gold medal....he's the one who put that team togethor

Actually i think the canadian players are the one's responsible for the team, not anyone player. The olympics pit the best of the best together and it does take a team effort to win. If there was ever one player who single handedly brought a championship to a team and saved them from leaving. It is Mario Lemuiex. Gretzky is undoubfully one of the greatest players, but he always had other greats on his teams to assist him to all of his records and achievments. I'm not trying to take anything away from Gretzky, just some of the Illusion that he is infact the greatest there ever was. Though i'm biased when i say Lemuiex is the best player from the last 20 years, his stats, triumphs, and hurdles prove this. Lemiuex missed three years of Hockey due to cancer. He is 400 points behind topping gretzky. He was in his prime when he left. when he returned, he was always the top.

are you kidding me?...gretzky an illusion as the greatest player?....yea he was surrounded by good players in edmonton but he made them better more than they made him better...and lemiux played with jagre all those years...who did gretzky have when he was in LA? robitille? who im sure we both agree is no jagre

ok my mistake for say mario won gold for canada. mario could have been better than gretzky if he wasent sick.

Mario Lemuiex is a hockey god........

It wasnt lukemia, it was Hodkins Disease.