Okay, I admit it - I love Mario Lemieux! Hockey fans in Pittsburgh loved him from day one - draft day when Eddie Johnson announced that the Penguins chose him, #66. We loved him when he scored his first NHL goal on his first shot of his first shift in his first game. We knew he was already something special, we could only guess how much better he could get. And boy, did he get better! The Pens were consistent "cellar dwellers" when Mario came on the scene in 1984. Slowly, but surely, management built a team around him and by the 1991 season, it all came together and culminated in the franchises’ first Stanley Cup.

How he dazzled the hockey world. We saw him make plays that were impossible and yet we saw them with our own eyes. Even some of the players admitted that they were so in awe of his skills, that sometimes they found themselves watching him, like fans, instead of playing. He did things that were incredible, even for him. No one will ever forget the New Year’s Eve game against the New Jersey Devils when Mario scored five goals - one every way there is to score: 1) even strength;
2) power play; 3) short-handed; 4) penalty shot; and 5) empty net.

But there were bad times too. The fans suffered with Mario through his injuries, his back surgery, and his battle with Hodgkin’s disease. We prayed when his son, Austin, was born prematurely and so tiny. Mario handled all of these setbacks with dignity and grace, causing us to admire the man as well as the athlete.

After all the records were set, finally, after a miraculous career, the day we’d all been dreading came. Mario had announced his retirement and what was probably his last home game was rapidly approaching. I knew that I had to be there - I had to say goodbye and thank you to my hero. So on April 23, 1997, I set out for the Arena and when the teams came out for warm ups, I was already in my seat.

The game against the Flyers started. It was game four of a playoff series. The Pens were down three games and even though we hoped the series would come back to
Pittsburgh, we had to be prepared that this could be it. The whole night was so
emotional. We didn’t want to be swept by our cross-state rivals. Somehow, we
thought, Mario would work his magic again. The Pens got ahead and the Flyers
couldn’t catch up, but it was so obvious that Mario wanted to give the fans
something to remember. He still hadn’t scored.

Standing ovations came frequently that night for Mario but the game was almost over. Suddenly, he grabbed the puck on a breakaway, rushed down the ice - and scored! I thought the roof would come off the Arena, it was so loud in there. Mario looked to the heavens, thanking the hockey gods for giving him one more special moment to share with his loyal fans. Because of the special occasion, minutes later, Mario was named the game’s number one star. He came back out onto the ice to still another thunderous ovation. He took a lap around the ice, waving to the fans, even throwing kisses. There weren’t many dry eyes, even Mario was brought to tears.

After 13 years, the love affair was over - or so we thought. But now…. Heeee’s Baaack! Mario saved the Pens yet again when he took over as the owner. But before he did, he trained well a special young man to be the team’s next captain. He taught Jaromir Jagr, by example, leadership and class and helped him hone his own incredible skills.

And so the love affair continues between a remarkable man and a remarkable city that he now calls home.