By the Numbers: How Mario Lemieux Etched #66 into Hockey Immortality
Sometimes, a sports story is so incredible that it feels like it writes itself. For this edition of “By the Numbers”, we’re looking at a number that became a legend. While wearing number “66” throughout his entire career, Mario Lemieux helped change the game forever.
A Bold Beginning
When Lemieux started his NHL career in 1984, Wayne Gretzky was the king of hockey with his famous number “99”. Mario wanted to show he belonged at the top, too. By flipping those nines upside down to create “66”, he signaled to the world that a new hockey giant had arrived in Pittsburgh. He wasn't just following in Gretzky's footsteps; he was carving his own.
The New Year’s Eve Miracle
If you want to know why they called him "The Magnificent One", you only have to look at December 31, 1988. That night, Lemieux did something that sounds like a video game cheat code. In an 8-6 win over the New Jersey Devils, he scored five goals in five different ways:
An even strength goal … in the first period
A shorthanded goal … in the first period
A power play goal … in the first period
A penalty shot goal … in the second period
An empty net goal … in the third period (with 1 second remaining)
It’s the only time in NHL history a player has "hit the cycle" like that. It’s a record that might never be broken.
The Shot Heard 'Round the World
Mario Lemieux didn’t just win in the NHL; he was a hero for Team Canada. In the 1987 Canada Cup, the world watched as the two greatest players ever teamed up. Wayne Gretzky passed the puck back to a charging Lemieux, who rifled it into the net to beat the Soviet Union. Arguably, it was the moment when number “66” proved he was an equal to “The Great One”.
66: A Hockey Giant’s Legacy
Even though Lemieux had to fight through a illness called Hodgkin lymphoma alongside back issues, he never gave up. He finished his NHL career with 1,723 points and won two Stanley Cups. Later, he even purchased the Pittsburgh Penguins organization to help keep the team from moving away.
Cool Fact: Mario Lemieux opened his home to young Penguins stars (e.g., Jaromir Jagr, Marc-André Fleury, Sidney Crosby) until they settled into the Pittsburgh area.
Ultimately, Mario Lemieux showed every kid that with enough talent and a lot of heart, you can turn a simple number into a symbol of greatness.