Wednesday, December 27 seemed to me like the longest day of the year! Time crept by and I felt like a child again waiting for Christmas morning to arrive. We finally headed out for the Mellon Arena amid a flurry of snow showers. As we got closer, we could see the signs being projected on the Igloo roof from the Mellon Bank Building. "Mario’s Back", "66", and the Penguin logo. We parked and headed inside.

As soon as we got into the Arena, we could feel the buzz. Everyone was smiling and walking just a little faster than usual. The ticket takers gave us our "MARIO" sign and the evening’s program. It seemed that almost everyone was wearing a 66 jersey.

We wanted to be in our seats by 7:05 PM - the time the Pens took warm-ups. We were, just like all the other 17,000 plus people jamming the place. The Jumbotron showed a couple of highlight reels of Mario, then parts of his news conference announcing his comeback. Then, with the entire building full of people anxiously waiting to greet him - out onto the ice he came!

What an ovation! I’d never experienced a feeling like that before except maybe in a playoff game. Mario seemed to be flying! The adrenalin must have really kicked in as he hit the ice. I glanced around to see "MARIO" signs waving everywhere as the crowd chanted, "MAR-I-O, MAR-I-O". The welcome back greeting rang out for a long time, picking up any time Lemieux touched the puck, and remember, this was the warm-up before the game!

After the ice was cleaned, darkness descended on the Arena. We could make out figures, one little one, heading to center ice. The announcer said that Austin Lemieux, Mario’s four-year-old son, was on the ice to see the huge "66" banner come down from the far reaches of the Arena. As Austin stood spellbound, Tina Turner’s song, "Simply the Best" blasted from the speakers and the crowd screamed in approval. The banner was "un-retired" like the player it was placed there to honor.

But the excitement had still not reached the fever pitch that was to come. Toronto’s team skated out and then, number 66 reappeared for his first real game in over three years. As I cheered and cheered and yelled his name, I could still hardly believe my eyes! He was back!





The noisy crowd quieted down only long enough for the American and Canadian anthems to be played. As the Pens took one last practice skate, Austin stood in the scorer’s box behind the goal. As his happy dad skated by, he tapped the glass with his stick where Austin stood, reminding him that dad was back largely because of him.

Again the announcer drove the fans wild as he gave the starting lineups, ending with, "Number 66, Mario Lemieuuuuuuuuxxxxxxxx!" All the waiting and anticipation was over and the game was about to begin. The raucous crowd was still on its feet screaming when 33 seconds into the first period, the Magic was back! With a flurry of shots around the goal, the puck went in off Jagr’s stick with an assist from an old friend - Mario.

Bedlam ensued as the ref decided he needed to go upstairs for a review of the play. We had no doubt. Even though the net came off, the puck had gone in first and soon the on ice official confirmed it. If Lemieux didn’t have the city in the palm of his hand already, this dramatic early goal assured it. "Lemieux for President", read one sign. Another said, "Mario Christmas and a Happy Lemieux Year!" One sign simply said, "Thanks, Austin" and another said, "New Math - 66 + 68 = 3 Cups".

The Toronto Maple Leafs looked a little stunned. I’m sure they knew this would be a special game but they couldn’t have been prepared for all that was happening.

Cheering during that first period was incessant as Alexei Kovalev swooped down and scored on Curtis Joseph and quickly made it 2-0. Cujo, one of the league’s premier goalies, was in for a long night! In the second period, Jagr snapped a beautiful pass to Mario’s stick. He whipped the puck past Cujo and made him look silly. Unbelievable! No rust, no warm-up games needed. Mario was back - with a vengeance! Shortly after that, Mario assisted on Jan Hrdina’s goal, giving everyone on the top line a goal.

By the time the third period came along, Mario was able to take fewer shifts. The score was already 5-0. No need for him to play too much more. He could reserve some energy for the long season still ahead. Those of us who missed his fabulous play the past three seasons never doubted his ability to return. We knew he wouldn’t even be trying if he wasn’t confident that he could make this happen again. Mario looked as young as Austin, smiling broadly, congratulating and exhorting his teammates, having fun like a kid again on a frozen Canadian pond. At the end of this historic game, he’d tallied a goal and two assists. A three point night after three years off. Amazing, yes, but as we all know he is still Simply the Best.