Greetings and salutationsonce again. Just getting ready for another radio show here, doing my research and setting up the studio. All kinds of fun at 5am here.
No Christmas pic today, just a Google Earth image of where I work, provided in attaches okay.
Thanks to Mario Lemieux. I would say it was a joy to watch him play his entire NHL career in Pittsburgh, but joy would be an underswtatement. So rather than rambling on about all he has done, I will just let the press release tell some of the story.
January 24, 2006 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Mario Lemieux today announced his retirement as a player, bringing an end to a spectacular career that already has landed him in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Lemieux finishes his career with 690 goals and 1,033 assists for 1,723 points in 915 games over 17 seasons -- all with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He led the Penguins to two Stanley Cups and also won six NHL scoring titles, three MVP awards and two Conn Smythe Trophies as MVP of the playoffs. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1997.
Lemieux, 40, played 26 games with the Penguins this season, scoring seven goals and 15 assists for 22 points. He played for the last time on December 16 vs. Buffalo at Mellon Arena, recording one assist.
“The time is right because I can no longer play the game at the level I’m accustomed to,” Lemieux said in making the announcement. “I think the best decision is to retire as a player and turn the game over to the younger guys who are the future of this team and this league. It’s a young man’s game now.
“I have so many great memories, especially the Stanley Cups, and I want to thank the fans in Pittsburgh - and hockey fans everywhere - for the support they’ve given to me and my family over the years. It’s been an unbelievable ride. And I really do believe this team has a great future here in Pittsburgh. I’m looking forward to watching these young players grow and develop into a championship team.”
The native of Montreal was the Penguins’ first-round pick, first overall, in 1984, and made an immediate impact on the franchise and the NHL. Scoring a goal in his first game, on his first shift, on his first shot, Lemieux went on to register 100 points in his first season, 1984-85, and received the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year.
He won the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL scoring champion in 1987-88, 1988-89, 1991-92, 1992-93, 1995-96 and 1996-97.
He won the Hart Memorial Trophy as league MVP in 1987-88, 1992-93 and 1995-96.
He won the Conn Smythe Trophy both times the Penguins won the Stanley Cup - in 1991 and 1992.
Lemieux was named a first-team NHL All-Star five times and a second-team All-Star on four occasions.
He played in 13 NHL All-Star games and was named the All-Star Game MVP three times - including in 1990, when the game was played in Pittsburgh.
Lemieux also was an enormous figure on the international hockey scene. He scored the dramatic winning goal when Team Canada beat the Soviet Union in the 1987 Canada Cup, and was captain of the Canadian teams that won the Olympic gold medal in 2002 and the World Cup in 2004.
Lemieux faced and overcame tremendous physical challenges during his career. He waged a much-publicized and successful battle with Hodgkin’s disease in 1993 and also had two major back surgeries and two hip surgeries. Earlier this season he was diagnosed with a heart condition known as atrial fibrillation.
He retired for the first time as a player following the 1996-97 season - having produced 613 goals and 881 assists for 1,494 points in 745 games with the Penguins. The Hall of Fame immediately waived the mandatory waiting period and inducted him in 1997.
But that was not the last we heard from him. In September, 1999, Lemieux carved out another place in sports history when he led a group of investors that purchased the Penguins out of bankruptcy.
Barely more than a year later, he stunned the sports world by announcing that he was returning to the ice as a player - thereby becoming the first player-owner of the modern era.
Lemieux made his comeback on Dec. 27, 2000, scoring a goal and adding two assists in a 5-0 victory over Toronto at Mellon Arena. He finished with a remarkable 35 goals and 76 points in just 43 games that season and helped the Penguins reach the Eastern Conference finals against New Jersey.
After making his comeback, he played in 170 games from 2000-05, recording 77 goals and 152 assists for 229 points.
Despite missing a significant amount of games due to injuries throughout his career, Lemieux leaves as the No. 7 all-time scorer in NHL history with his 1,723 points. He also ranks eighth all-time in goals and 10th in assists.
Lemieux recently stepped down as CEO of the Penguins but still serves as Chairman of the Board.
In addition to his hockey accomplishments, Lemieux continues to oversee the Mario Lemieux Foundation for cancer research and neo-natal research and hosts its annual celebrity golf tournament, which raises millions of dollars for charity. In February, 2001, the foundation made a $5 million gift to the UPMC Health System to create the Mario Lemieux Centers for Patient Care and Research.
REGULAR SEASON PLAYOFFS
SEASON TEAM LEAGUE GP G A PTS PIM GP G A PTS PIM
1980-81 Mtl-Concordia QAAA 47 62 62 124 127 3 2 5 7 8
1981-82 Laval QMJHL 64 30 66 96 22 18 5 9 14 31
1982-83 Laval QMJHL 66 84 100 184 76 12 14 18 32 18
1983-84 Laval QMJHL 70 133 149 282 92 14 29 23 52 29
1984-85 PITTSBURGH NHL 73 43 57 100 54 -- -- -- -- --
1985-86 PITTSBURGH NHL 79 48 93 141 43 -- -- -- -- --
1986-87 PITTSBURGH NHL 63 54 53 107 57 -- -- -- -- --
1987-88 PITTSBURGH NHL 77 70 98 168 92 -- -- -- -- --
1988-89 PITTSBURGH NHL 76 85 114 199 100 11 12 7 19 16
1989-90 PITTSBURGH NHL 59 45 78 123 78 -- -- -- -- --
1990-91 PITTSBURGH NHL 26 19 26 45 30 23 16 28 44 16
1991-92 PITTSBURGH NHL 64 44 87 131 94 15 16 18 34 2
1992-93 PITTSBURGH NHL 60 69 91 160 38 11 8 10 18 10
1993-94 PITTSBURGH NHL 22 17 20 37 32 6 4 3 7 2
1994-95 DID NOT PLAY
1995-96 PITTSBURGH NHL 70 69 92 161 54 18 11 16 27 33
1996-97 PITTSBURGH NHL 76 50 72 122 65 5 3 3 6 4
1997-98 RETIRED
1998-99 RETIRED
1999-00 RETIRED
2000-01 PITTSBURGH NHL 43 35 41 76 18 18 6 11 17 4
2001-02 PITTSBURGH NHL 24 6 25 31 14 -- -- -- -- --
Canada Olympics 5 2 4 6 0
2002-03 PITTSBURGH NHL 67 28 63 91 43 -- -- -- -- --
2003-04 PITTSBURGH NHL 10 1 8 9 6 -- -- -- -- --
2004-05 DID NOT PLAY
2005-06 PITTSBURGH NHL 26 7 15 22 16 -- -- -- -- --
NHL/PGH TOTALS 915 690 1033 1723 834 107 76 96 172 87
Todd Lepovsky
Manager of Media Relations
Pittsburgh Penguins
66 Mario Lemieux Place
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
(412) 642-1827
In other news, the change meter stands at $.78 after finding another 5 pennies at work yesterday.
And lastly, I will be pulling an all nighter tonight, coming back to the station after work to get my production work done. The hours suck, but it will get me out of here earlier on Friday, which gets me into my weekend quicker, since I don't double on Friday and I am off all day on Saturday.
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