Lemieux Makes Masterful Comeback

Dec. 28, 2000 -- Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux came out ofretirement in grand fashion Wednesday, notching an assist 33 seconds into his first game with the Pittsburgh Penguins since retiring more than three years ago.

The NHL’s six-time scoring leader set up Jaromir Jagr’s goal 33 seconds after Lemieux’s No. 66 jersey was taken down from the Mellon Arena ceiling in a pregame ceremony. Lemieux went on to score a goal and post another assist in his remarkable return to hockey since retiring in April 1997.

“I was a little bit nervous before the game and throughout the day as well,” Lemieux said after the Penguins routed the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-0. “But it was a great experience. I was looking forward to it and [had] been thinking about this for a long time now since I started training two months ago.

“It was great to be back and be part of the the team again and it was a great feeling when I stepped on the ice.”

Stanley Cup Atmosphere

The hockey legend’s fourth comeback Wednesday night had the feel of a Stanley Cup game, with four competing TV telecasts and hundreds of media members in attendance.

Lemieux took the ice amid a flurry of flashing cameras 40 minutesbefore a game that almost was an afterthought to the spectacle thatwas his return.

When the three-time MVP scored a goal at 10:33 in the second period off a pass from Jagr, the standing-room-only crowd of 17,000 responded with a thunderous ovation.

Lemieux’s delighted family, led by wife Nathalie and 4-year-oldson Austin, exchanged high-fives in a private box.

“To be back in your first game and to score a goal here in this building and the way the crowd reacted, it was a great experience,” said Lemieux, who earned another point with another assist in the second period.

Skeptics Are Silenced

Since Lemieux’s return to the NHL was first reported on Dec. 7, fans have celebrated and skeptics have doubted the rusty talents of a one-time superstar.

The other most notorious comeback in sports was Michael Jordan’s return to the Chicago Bulls in 1995 — but critics point out Jordan was only away from basketball for 1 ½ years, and he remained a competitive athlete by playing pro baseball. Lemieux, however, spent much of his retirement buying the Penguins and only practiced with the team for a week before returning to the ice competitively Wednesday night.

That led some players to question whether Lemieux, who had staged three comebacks before — from back surgery in 1991, cancer treatment in 1993 and a one-year medical sabbatical in 1995 — could pull off another miracle at the age of 35 in a league that is tougher, faster and less scoring-friendly than when he played.

Even Lemieux acknowledged prior to the game that he was returning to a league that was not quite the same as when he left it.

“I know that the game is a lot faster, the players are a lot bigger and stronger than they used to be even three years ago, and that’s going to be an adjustment for me, to go out there and feel my way around the ice and around the players,” he said.

But the player known as Super Mario, who earned his sixth and last score title in 1996-97, looked every bit the legend Wednesday night.

“He’s the best player in the world and he’s proved that in hisfirst game back,” said fan George Ferrari, who wore a No. 66 jersey tomark Lemieux’s return.

ABC Radio and The Associated Press contributed to this report.