Lemieux Statue Unveiled

Mario Lemieux has been a figurative rock in Pittsburgh ever since he was drafted by the Penguins in 1984. Now, that’s true in a literal sense, too.

The 4,700 pound “Le Magnifigue” statue was unveiled in front of a large crowd today at the Trib Total Media gate of the Consol Energy Center.

The statue depicts the a play of Lemieux on Dec. 20, 1988 at Civic Arena against the New York Islanders, when he cut between defensemen Rich Pilon and Jeff Norton and ripped a wrist shot upstairs on goaltender Kelly Hrudey.

Lemieux played a fast, finesse game that often left defenders looking like boys amongst men and even though there are a myriad of different depictions of No. 66 the Penguins could have used for the statue, this one seems embody Mario the most.

You can check out some of the pictures of the event here at the Penguins website.

http://penguins.nhl.com/club/gallery.htm?id=28364&navid=DL|PIT|home

And in case you forgot why Lemieux is such a revered figure in Pittsburgh, the National Hockey League and all of professional sports, here are a few numbers to remind you:

Mario won the Art Ross Trophy (awarded to the league leader in scoring) six times. He won the Calder Trophy Memorial Trophy (rookie of the year) in 1984-85. He won the Conn Smythe (MVP of the playoffs) during both of his Stanley Cup championship wins. He won the Hart Trophy (regular season MVP) three times. He won the Ted Lindsay Award (most outstanding player as selected by the NHLPA) four times. He won the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy (for qualities of perseverance and sportsmanship) once. He won the Lester Patrick Trophy (outstanding service to hockey in the United States).

In addition, Lemieux led the Penguins to their first two Stanley Cup championships in the history of the team and saved the organization from bankruptcy and relocation.

All time in the NHL, Mario is seventh in career points (1,723), ninth in goals scored (690), 10th in assists (1,033) , sixth in power play goals (236) and fourth in short handed goals (49).