I live in Pittsburgh, and have had the great fortune to have watched Mario Lemieux play entire professional career here. I've seen many all-time great players over the years, but no one will EVER be a greater hockey player than Mario Lemieux. He is a once-in-a -lifetime player. Even in his retirement, and ownership of the Penguins, he continues to be a great ambassador for the great game of hockey. He's been the greatest ever.
@Sinsemilla4u15 жыл бұрын
Again, I must say that I will never belittle the kind of player that Gretzky was, he was truly amazing. My only point is I wish we could have seen what Mario was truly capable of. A lot of notable players, coaches and sports writers wonder the same thing as well, so it's not just the fans.
@ar83es13 жыл бұрын
I never saw legends like Bobby Orr or Gordie Howe, Gretsky was the emperor of assists and a world class scorer, Brett Hull could score even without the puck, but for me Mario Lemieux will always be number one. He was complete and probably one of the most valuable players of a team in NHL´s history
@ACParker1316 жыл бұрын
they forget my fav, when he does that toe drag around the defenceman then brings it to his backhand and tucks it behind the goalie Mario Lemieux is the greatest player to ever play hockey. He is the type of player that could be great in any era of hockey. If Lemieux were in his prime right now he would by far lead the league. Half those passes he makes I wouldn't even see coming. It is my personal opinion that had he stayed healthy he would be the all-time leader in goals.
@seukfuhi13 жыл бұрын
About Lemieux: "In my mind the most talented player I've ever seen. If it were not for health problems, God only knows what his numbers would have been." - Bobby Orr (I guess it says it all).
@MrNinjaKay14 жыл бұрын
this is the only top 10 video where i was simply STUNNED by ALL the goals lemieux can do that to you.
@SpireOfFire14 жыл бұрын
super mario is the best nickname in hockey ever. he was so awesome.
@liambarron6918 жыл бұрын
what a sweet list. I love that they included the goal during the olympics scored by joe sakic that mario let through his legs, that takes such tremendous skill and discipline. Definetly his top 10 plays. Might have liked to see the goal he scored on his first nhl shift. Overall a great selection of plays by one of the greatest players the league will ever see.
@ChachaChapati14 жыл бұрын
@ChachaChapati there's no denying Gretzky's enormous talent, but as a Pens fan--and seeing his size and agility--my favorite and the best of all time is Mario.
@nsakic15 жыл бұрын
The goal where he fooled Bourque... I keep watching it ... how did he do that? Bourque of all ppl... amazing. There was one where he blew by Leetch as well....
@mogwai14215 жыл бұрын
The analyst does such a great job... 'Waiting for Bourque to make the move, which. of course. was the wrong move'.
@zaaaaak1715 жыл бұрын
No one is even close to this man, best player ever
@LibraryTech66615 жыл бұрын
He's insanely good. Great to see him assisted by Gretzky, too. I would not want to be the goalie facing Lemieux, damn!
@whitecloud198015 жыл бұрын
#8 and 3 are simply a thing of beauty. how i miss watching mario, the 90s will always hold my greatest hockey memories.
@OneEyedKeys15 жыл бұрын
I agree with Ottvalley. I've been involved with hockey for too long and have seen alot of greats come and go, but none of them have possessed talent like unto Lemiuex. He may not be the 'best' hockey player ever, as you would have to debate the valuable skills and talents needed to play the game and in what amounts a player should have them to be the best. But he was the most talented, and a sight to see.
@MATH75014 жыл бұрын
What can we say. Hes just the BEST player of all time.
@lukepghpa15 жыл бұрын
mario was the greatest goal scorer ever
@Elvisvivant16 жыл бұрын
The most beautiful goal in Canada history (yeah, Anderson's goal in 1972 against USSR is something, but never as amazing as the one from Lemieux that night in 1987... still gives me chills).
@XDM1011 жыл бұрын
Definitely the #1 or 2 player ever. Happy I got to see him play multiple times in person. THANK MARIO!!!
@PittsburghPenguins0214 жыл бұрын
Greatest to ever play the greatest game on earth which makes him of course the greatest!!!!
@bosmal17 жыл бұрын
Best player ever...greetings from Sarajevo :w
@myunclesnephew14 жыл бұрын
Bob Cole: "Have you ever seen such finesse?" Hockey world: "No."
@PittsburghPenguins0214 жыл бұрын
i watch this video at least once a week. it humbles me because i know i will never be as good at ANYTHING as this man was at hockey
@FEBEAULIEU16 жыл бұрын
"The most complete player I've ever seen" -Scotty Bowman (greatest coach of all time) Enough said!
@phildafunk2714 жыл бұрын
The greatest in any sport I've ever seen. Legend!
@Maxie111118 жыл бұрын
The best goal listed at number one was sick and to do it in the finals was unreal!
@JAYJason666611 жыл бұрын
I was 12 rows up from the blue line on the #7 goal. I've been a Mario Lemieux fan ever since my buddy took me to that game back in 88. He was a fluke of nature. Bar none, he was the greatest hockey player of them all.
@cityofchamps6610 жыл бұрын
a freak of nature,no fluke
@vetegrodd15 жыл бұрын
Somehow this guy reminds me about the early Steven Seagal! Huge self-confidence, heavy ass(haha), big body and skillfull as hell! He has that kind of heavyness in his presence that makes the guys around him look like kids!
@llllleroy16 жыл бұрын
Mario's the best! Never saw #4 before - THANKS!~
@Ginga15 жыл бұрын
I'm not even a hockey fan, nor have I ever watched an entire hockey game but some of these goals are pure class. I was just playing NHL '98 on my old Saturn and I wanted to see how good Mario was in real life. This guy was a beast.
@DitLapalme16 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the stat check Catalinadee. This story always gives me goosebump. I mean super Mario was having some supernatural talent.
@DavidHunterinOttawa14 жыл бұрын
Thanks for posting this - such great memories!
@Andy801214 жыл бұрын
The best ever no doubt, also one of the best athlete ever
@johnblough7813 жыл бұрын
Simply the greatest.
@moreblack16 жыл бұрын
man had the moves, one of a kind.
@Ironriot1115 жыл бұрын
Mario Lemieux is the greatest! Hands down!
@hill011818 жыл бұрын
My favorite one was the between the legs. That was just sick.
@ZatchPatch17 жыл бұрын
My fav all-time goal.
@EAE977815 жыл бұрын
Having seen both of them in their prime, I would say that Gretzky had the luxury of playing on more better teams than Lemieux. Overall, I agree with the assessment that Lemieux & Orr were better players than Gretzky.
@hitman35715 жыл бұрын
the only reason Gretzky's PPG avg. is higher is because Mario came out of retirement and played through more injuries. When Mario retired the first time, he had the highest PPG avg. in league history.
@schmedhead17 жыл бұрын
Mario the magnificent. I miss wathing him play. He'd have every scoring record if he wouldn't have had the health problems. Sid the Kid is pretty damn good too!
@soulesslemming15 жыл бұрын
wow I thought I was the only one, I don't feel so alone anymore.
@KingMinosxxvi14 жыл бұрын
Lemieux's gifts and charachter are so manifest and pure that he constantly transcends the general nature of that objective. While it easy despite there gifts to have a dislike casual or not to harbour a dislike for the likes of alex rodriguez or barry bonds or the aforementioned jordan even at times someone as beloved as Ali or Gretzky. This never gets in the way of the pure joy, intelligence and skill of Mario's constant ingeniuety. Vive Le Magnifique ! :)
@CharEnglund13 жыл бұрын
Have you ever seen such finesse?
@RunNingTheoRy13 жыл бұрын
@ThomaTo66 OMG YEA, not even fair to have them on the same team, the two greatest players in NHL history playing together on the world stage.
@User55_1015 жыл бұрын
#9 such a sweet goal
@tzzlite17 жыл бұрын
Lemieux was simply the greatest player of ANY sport to ever play!! He was so exciting every time he touched the puck that you just rose out of your seat to see what he would do. He's the most exciting player to every play in ANY sport without a doubt and no hockey player ever comes close to making the moves he did!
@2angels116 жыл бұрын
Best player to ever lace them up.
@fantastopotomus17 жыл бұрын
I think Mario Lemieux single-handedly invented the deke, the dangle, and the highlight reel goal, all at the same time.
@THExxJOKERxx14 жыл бұрын
Number 2 was a heck of a gamble...you have a wide open player on the right and you play vs Russia and if you miss the whole country will hate you for this play...but with all this pressure he takes the shot and scores one of the most important goal in canada's history !!!! Wow Mario t'es le meilleur !!
@magicmc2313 жыл бұрын
greatest player of all time
@Sinsemilla4u15 жыл бұрын
I'm glad you enjoyed Pittsburgh and the Igloo, we will miss it after this next season. I've only ever been to Toronto and Niagra, but always enjoyed any time I spent in Canada so far. Hope to make it to Montreal and Vancouver in the near future, I've heard nothing but good things about those cities.
@BritIronRebel16 жыл бұрын
....And he did that many times with two d-men hanging all over him, deaking forwards, and then the goalie - sometimes one handed! Ungodly
@cne0816 жыл бұрын
I saw the #2 goal live and it was amazing.
@paulwall198114 жыл бұрын
Super Mario deserves to be among the best hockey players of all time. He was a bright light thourghout his career. I really hope he will find a place in the Hockey hall of fame, he is just that good.
@blessedbeJesus15 жыл бұрын
That last play was a one on two break...... incredible!!!
@Kaalec15 жыл бұрын
Mario was to hockey what Michael Jordan was to Basketball incredible skill, finesse and smarts. Great vid. As a Canadian who remembers seeing that goal in the Canada Cup, i would make that the number one goal. The teamwork between Gretzky and Mario was amazing. They knew exactly what the other was going to do. Gretzkt knew Mario was going to score the moment he made that perfect pass. Sublime. But then, I am a little biased.
@cliffburton33313 жыл бұрын
"doesn't know whether to cry or wind his watch" i wish mike lange still did tv
@soulesslemming15 жыл бұрын
if you've ever known somebody whose undergone chemotherapy it makes Mario so much more amazing. On the day of Marios last chemotherapy session he traveled to philadelphia, played 23:17 of 60:00 minutes, scored 1 goal & had 1 assist. Thats the stuff of legend add the back problems that would debilitate most people and you understand why he will always be SUPER MARIO.
@Yanscapoter14 жыл бұрын
1 word: BEAST!
@TheRealDerfMan17 жыл бұрын
I was more of a 99 fan growing up, and didn't like that Lemieux could threaten some of 99's records. But as I grew older and wiser, I began to appreciated Lemieux for what he was, even when I'd watch him play against my Habs - which was never pleasant...! I can't tell you how many times my jaw would drop watching this guy do the things only he could do. Gotta love these "Top Ten" plays! =)
@Pierreboro15 жыл бұрын
@ActoneSUCKA I wonder how Gretzky would have fared if he, like Lemieux, had suffered from spinal disc herniation, Hodgkin's lymphoma, chronic tendinitis of a hip-flexor muscle, chronic back pain, and atrial fibrillation...
@jend9915 жыл бұрын
for me he was the best forward ever
@TheRealDerfMan17 жыл бұрын
Absolutely! When you see how far ahead Gretzky is in regards to (almost) every stat, it's simply incredible. Messier has 1887 career points, while Gretzky has 1963 career assists!! We will NEVER see another hockey player like him again. 163 assists in one season? 51 games point scoring streak? Never again. But I personally still couldn't tell you if Gretzky was indeed THE greatest. Some say if Maurice Richard played in the 80's, he would've scored 100 goals. Of course, THAT we'll never know. =)
@bbmtge14 жыл бұрын
Simply the best ever. Even makes Gretzky look like a Chinaman!!!
@Sinsemilla4u15 жыл бұрын
Gretzky was also thrust into a playoff caliber team. Lemieux was playing for a team at the bottom of the league. I don't know if it was so much he wasn't working hard, but he wasn't as motivated by other players and coaches to work as hard. You are correct though, playing with someone like Gretzky did motivate him to do better than what he was, and that is a very good thing. He did however still win the Calder his 1st year and the Pearson his 2nd and was only behing Gretzky in scoring that year.
@ThatDiggityGuy13 жыл бұрын
Lemieux is pretty good on 1 on 2s
@SrustinLim16 жыл бұрын
I think he had the greatest instincts and patience in the history of the game...greater than Gretzky.
@POMPLP7213 жыл бұрын
GREATEST OF ALL TIME! WOOOO
@SombraPiloto12 жыл бұрын
Simply the best...
@WoWultiplayer335516 жыл бұрын
the best... its awesome now how hes the owner of the penguins now
@YouCanCallMeAl102216 жыл бұрын
OMFG that number 1 play was one of the sickest goals i'd ever seen.
@jimw81a16 жыл бұрын
Gretzky was great but for the best ever flip that 99 upsidedown and you get #66...MARIO..THE BEST EVER!
@celibuko13 жыл бұрын
What a player! Oh my god!
@megaforcemedia17 жыл бұрын
Amazing hands to go along with that great size. Incredible plays. Weird thing is his parents still live in the same little house in a poor area of Montreal.
@KingMinosxxvi14 жыл бұрын
absolutely beautiful. Perhaps there is more grace and dare i say genius here then in any other athlete. Unlike jordan and many other great athletes whose skills are almost secondary to the tyranical bully like nature of the competitive drive. What we have with Mario is the sheer boundless overflowing of talent and conception. Sublime, subtle ... magical. While out of the will towards the objective of winning and at times dominance grace can be produced by the sheer singularity of the drive.
@TheRealDerfMan15 жыл бұрын
# 3 = What's more amazing? The fact he made Ray Bourque of all people look like a minor-leaguer, or that he was able to roof it glove side from so close? I don't think I'll ever get tired of watching highlights of Lemieux and Gretzky. Incredible, those two...!
@EKwisnek15 жыл бұрын
So true. During his time in the league, the calls weren't as forthcoming as they are now. What would be recognized as headhunting now, was just " pressuring" the talented players back then.
@lukepghpa16 жыл бұрын
greatest player ever
@joemoscheck16 жыл бұрын
You know, I don't think anyone will break Gretzky's records, but this guy was playing at a whole new level. Had he stayed healthy (even though that didn't always keep him from racking up unreasonable stats)...I can only imagine.
@titanshockey4616 жыл бұрын
mario lemieux is the best hockey player that ever lived. theres way to many amazing things he did to have a top ten.
@wxywawjy62615 жыл бұрын
ur right. yeah, we French Canadian know that already. Ain't it cool that he "stood up" to his name?
@SamonMarquis12 жыл бұрын
That one game in 1987, Canada vs le Sovietique, Lemieux and Gretzky on the same squad is poetry in motion.
@HammerQQ14 жыл бұрын
I love this stat: 5 goals in different ways in one game (shorthanded, full strength, powerplay, penalty shot, and empty net) (December 31, 1988 against the New Jersey Devils; only player to accomplish the feat)
@drugsnbeer17 жыл бұрын
I happen to think the +/- rating is overvalued, but Orr throws my criticism right out the window. Check it out sometime. The first time I saw his career rating I thought it was a misprint. It's freaking OUTRAGEOUS. Way higher than chance could account for. What it all adds up to is - when Orr was on the ice, Boston scored goals and the opponent didn't.
@machineunit16 жыл бұрын
Yzerman was good no doubt (being a detroiter and a huge wings fan, i have watched him since i was 7) and he had tremendous leadership skills among his many other talents but i do not consider him to be on the level of gretzky or lemieux...
@TheRealDerfMan17 жыл бұрын
Nice video, but I just wanted to add something in regards to a few previous posts below. As far as Mike Bossy goes, let's face it: he was maybe the purest goal scorer the league ever saw after Maurice Richard, regardless of Gretzky's and Lemieux's stats, ok? Here's one for the road: according to some, Guy Lafleur was probably more exciting to watch than everybody mentioned above. Maybe more so than Bure, Crosby and Ovechkin! =) Thanks for posting the video! It's great to see # 66 flying!
@TheRealDerfMan17 жыл бұрын
I totally agree with you. I'm a Gretzky fan myself, and I don't think Mario is any less great than what he actually was just because I like 99 better. They were both equally mind blowing, just as much as Bobby Orr or Lafleur were in their days, or Crosby and Ovechkin are today. Everybody can have their favourites, but it simply doesn't make the other players any worse. And boy are you right about you being blessed to have seen both 66 and 99, same with Jordan and Lebron James. =)
@richardsull11915 жыл бұрын
It's no coincidence that 4 of the goals were against the Bruins. The Lemieux's Penguins absolutely owned the Bruins. He looked like he wasn't even trying that hard. But there was nothing you could do to stop him. I remember a game against the Bruins: The Bruins were on the power play in OT. There was a bad pass in the B's offensive zone, and as soon as Lemieux touched it, my heart sank because I knew the game was over. Sure enough, he splits the defense and score the short-handed game winner.
@BK092215 жыл бұрын
MARIO! HES THE MAN Go pens!!!!
@CanadaMMA17 жыл бұрын
Wayne had the vision and the hockey sense, Lemieux had all the phyiscal gifts, and Bobby Orr had everything :-P
@Spls3217 жыл бұрын
Number 1 is incredible. What an amazing player.
@falmark18715 жыл бұрын
Lemieux and Jager has to be the best line in history. They was both so big, fast and tecnical
@fel890111 жыл бұрын
Best Player In History Of Hockey ( Gretzky had backup)
@kidpoker94087 жыл бұрын
so if gretzky stayed with edmonton and won 9 cups scored 1000 goals and 2500 assists 3500 points u guys would still be saying mario would reach that level keep dreaming marios arguments are all if's Waynes are all facts
@kyleyoung64965 жыл бұрын
Kid Poker wow your just stupid
@FastPaull16 жыл бұрын
i will say this goalie's of today are more disciplined. and much, much better then goalie's of year's ago. player's all around now day's are better. Mario was just ahead of his time, he had the style of players today cmon putting thru the leg's?!? that was unheard of back then. Im very happy i got to watch him growing up in the 90's.
@Deftone91116 жыл бұрын
Thank you for the memories
@cibobary876614 жыл бұрын
If he got on a break away it was over. the most dominating hockey player ever and no one will ever come close in terms of overwhelming defense man and goalies. now gretzky is the greatest hockey player ever because of his ability to read plays and he had the greatest ice awareness ever, he was just always in the right place at the right time.
@TheRealDerfMan17 жыл бұрын
The one and only for ever and ever... Robert Gordon Orr. I was born in 1980, so all I have to base myself on what Bobby did is my step-dad, some highlights, and a bunch of clips of old hockey players who either played with him or against him. And let me tell you, I wish I had a time machine to go back to 1970 so that I could see him play. Then I would make sure to check out Jimi Hendrix, Led Zep, Miles Davis, Frank Zappa and James Brown, but that's a whole other story... =)
@Ben-cm9nc6 жыл бұрын
Yeah 9 the best, calmly just strolls in but still can’t be stopped