Mario Lemieux - The Pittsburgh Icon
Chances are, if you’re already looking for a Mario Lemieux jersey, you know all about the man himself. Mario Lemieux, also known as Le Magnifique, or Super Mario, is one of the greatest players in NHL history. He, unlike his Canadian counterpart and Team Canada teammate Wayne Gretzky, played with only one NHL team for his long and storied career- the Pittsburgh Penguins.
When Lemieux debuted on the Penguins in 1984, they were struggling financially and fans just weren’t showing up to games. By the end of his first season in Pittsburgh, Lemieux was the first rookie to be named the NHL All-Star Game’s Most Valuable Player. From there, things only went up for the Penguins. Next season he would go on to finish second in points in the league, behind, of course, Wayne Gretzky.
In 1987 Mario Lemieux and Gretzky led Team Canada to victory in the Canada Cup, with Lemieux scoring the winning goal in the final minutes against the Soviet Union. The following season, energized by his Team Canada performance Lemieux finally beat Gretzky as the league’s leading scorer. From there, Lemieux led the Penguins to consecutive Stanley cup championships in 1991 and 1992.
In the following year, Lemieux would announce his diagnosis of Hodgkins lymphoma. On his final day of radiation treatment, Mario flew to Philadelphia to play against the Flyers, earning a standing ovation from the opposing team’s fans. Following his retirement from the NHL, Lemieux saved the team from bankruptcy yet again, and became the majority owner of his former team.
There is no one more emblematic of the Pittsburgh Penguins resiliency than Mario Lemieux himself, and it’s no wonder that die-hard Pittsburgh fans are often spotted sporting Lemieux jerseys still today. If you have a Penguins fan in your life and you want to make them very happy, or if you’re a fan yourself, a Mario Lemieux jersey is an essential part of your memorabilia collection. A Mario Lemieux throwback jersey is like owning a piece of history- get yours today