It was a great moment in 2000, when the Penguins pulled Mario's number down from the rafters so he could put it back on and play. Now, six years later, they'll have to disunretire it, as Super Mario arrives again at the end of his career.
By consensus, the aptly-named Lemieux was one of the five or so greatest players in NHL history. Citing health problems, he retired in 1997 and was immediately inducted into the Hall of Fame, skipping the usually mandatory three-year waiting period. (
Wikipedia says he was the ninth player to have the waiting period waived, but doesn't name the other eight — or mention whether any of them came back to play in the NHL as active Hall-of-Famers. Does anyone know?)
Here's hoping this second, for-real-this-time retirement is untainted with a schlocky video "tribute" like the first one was. Remember this? "Pond of Dreams?" A short film wherein Lemieux, Gretzky and Gordie Howe happen upon a picturesque pond where Pavel Bure, Jaromir Jagr, Paul Kariya and Eric Lindros (the supposed next generation of greats, I guess) are playing a pickup game and invite the "old-timers" to join in? And they decline, saying "it's your game now, boys?"
Jesus, what an embarassment.
Anyway, here's an altogether unsentimental
timeline of Mario's magnificent career from the Globe and Mail. And here's an extensive
Lemieux photo gallery.