NHL Records: Mario Lemieux and the Night of the "Hockey Cycle"
In a recent article published in the Professor's Press Box, I explored a few NHL records that feel truly untouchable. I looked at Glenn Hall’s 552-game “Iron Man” streak and Wayne Gretzky’s mountain of 2,857 points. But the third record on that list is a different kind of statistic. It isn't a record of longevity; it’s a record of pure, situational magic. It is Mario Lemieux’s "Five Goals, Five Ways".
On New Year’s Eve in 1988, fans in the Civic Arena witnessed something that had never happened before and hasn't happened since. Against the New Jersey Devils, Mario Lemieux completed what can only be referred to as the “Hockey Cycle”. While Mario actually had a hand in every single goal of that 8-6 Penguins win—finishing with eight points—it’s the variety of his five goals that remains a remarkable feat.
Scoring the “Hockey Cycle”
To score the “Hockey Cycle”, a player has to find the back of the net in every possible game scenario. Lemieux didn't just stumble into it; he checked them off with clinical timing:
Even-Strength Goal: 1st Period, 4:17
Short-handed Goal: 1st Period, 7:50
Power-Play Goal: 1st Period, 10:59
Penalty-Shot Goal: 2nd Period, 11:14
Empty-Net Goal: 3rd Period, 19:59 (1 second to go)
A Night of Situational Perfection
Think about the rhythm of that game. By the first intermission, Lemieux already had a "perfect hat trick" in the books. He had scored at even strength, while killing a penalty, and on the power play. In the second period, he stepped up for a penalty shot and converted. Then, in a moment of pure cinematic timing, he slid the puck into the empty net with exactly one second remaining on the clock.
This is why the record is likely unbreakable. A player can be the most talented skater in the game, but they can't force the refs to give them a penalty shot. They can't guarantee they’ll be on the ice for a short-handed breakaway and a late-game empty-netter in the same sixty minutes. It requires a perfect storm of luck and elite skill.
66—The Five-Way Masterpiece
Hats off to “The Magnificent One”. By scoring the “Hockey Cycle”, Mario Lemieux proved he could dominate every single facet of the game at once. Years later, the question still stands: Is this “Five-Way Masterpiece” an unbreakable NHL record?