Mario made it clear to everyone with his first shift that he was destined to become a legend. (Source: AP)

 Ultimately Mario’s incredible and tumultuous playing career has come to end as result of an ironic injury. Lemieux persevered through chronic injuries to his back, hip and a bout of cancer largely due to his courage, determination and heart, which carried him through the toughest times. And now after a 17-year career it is that same heart that has officially ended the playing career of the Magnificent One.

 Perhaps unfairly, Lemieux’s career has never been viewed in isolation. From the moment he decided to invert Wayne Gretzky’s number into his famous 66 the two have been forever linked as rivals for hockey’s individual supremacy. The fact that they played against each other in the same era just made the comparison a natural.

 "He's the best player I've seen since I got into the league in '67. I've always said he's the most complete player I've seen because he can score, he can make plays, he's got the reach and, when you need defense, he can provide it." - Scotty Bowman

 It is because of the head-to-head comparison that Mario was never truly embraced with the same kind of adoration that Gretzky was. Those fans and media members who supported Gretzky did so with unabashed devotion. That devotion led to backlash against the anti-Gretzky. If Gretzky was hockey’s golden child, Lemieux was the hockey world’s child born out of wedlock.  Even their retirements were polarizing.  Lemieux’s initial departure from the game in 1997 was met with the same emotional outpouring that one gets from winning a free car wash.  It paled it comparison to the pageantry and Sarah Mclaughlin video tributes that Gretzky got for his retirement.

 It really wasn’t until his comeback in December 2000 that the hockey world fully embraced Mario. Maybe it was the three and a half year layoff the created a sense of longing. Or maybe it was Lemieux’s inspired 76 points in 43 games and the Penguins march to the Eastern Conference finals. Whatever the case Lemieux’s return to the game caused the hockey world to wax poetically en masse about how good it was to have him back.

 I’ve always believed that success should be measured by the amount of adversity someone has had to overcome. Personally I’m much more impressed with the accomplishments of an entrepreneur over someone like Donald Trump Jr., who has all the resources at his disposal to succeed.  Lemieux’s career was always full of challenging obstacles but that’s what made you want to root for him.

 “Mario Lemieux could do it all, when his body let him. In my mind the most talented player I've ever seen. If it were not for health problems, God only knows what his numbers would have been." - Bobby Orr

 Lemieux’s potential achievements will always be speculated. Given a clean bill of health would he have surpassed all of Gretzky’s records? Probably. Especially when you consider how his back injury ravaged him during his prime and how many games he likely suited up for at 50% health.  But it’s a pointless exercise to speculate and project what could have been for Mario. Especially since there are plenty of achievements he was able to accomplish that we can measure his legendary status on.

• He captained Canada to their first Olympic Gold Medal in men’s hockey in over 50 years.
• He guided the Pittsburgh Penguins from league doormat to Stanley Cup champions in six short seasons.
• He made those around him much better players. Exhibit A: Rob Brown. Exhibit B: Warren Young 40 goal scorer.
• He was immensely loyal to the Penguins organization; never demanding a trade or pursuing free agency. Loyalty has become one of those rare things that only applies to a select few. Outside of Lemieux, Yzerman and Brodeur are likely the only two other major stars of this generation to stay the entire course with one organization.
• He saved his best for crunch time: Winning two Conn Smythe Trophies and played hockey at its highest level during the Penguins’ playoff drives. Whether it was parting Minnesota North Stars defenceman or putting the puck through Ray Bourque’s skates as Jemerey Roenick so eloquently summarized, "He did that against one of the best Hall of Fame defencemen ever. Not too many people deke Bourque period, but not many people make Bourque look amateur. And Mario did it."
• His battle with cancer and subsequent opening of the Mario Lemieux foundation was an inspiration.
• He absorbed more physical punishment that any other recent superstar has had to deal with.  Aside from the constant game-to-game punishment the tactics used by opponents against Lemieux directly led to over 20 games of suspension.
• His criticism of the game prior to his first retirement ultimately paved the way to the free-wheeling and open brand of hockey we see today.

Mario leaves the game with a strong legacy. The legendary stories from his career already sound more myth than truth.  Scoring a goal and an assist and receiving a standing ovation from the Philadelphia fans on the same day as his last chemo treatment. Leading Canada to victory on one leg during the Olympics. Leading the league in scoring despite not being able to tie his own skates due to the chronic pain his back gave him. Serving pizza to his teammates during the overtime intermissions of a marathon playoff game with the Capitals, a game that Lemieux was inexplicably thrown out of for fighting.

The most remarkable Mario moment for me was his 1992-1993 season when he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Disease.  Lemieux went on to score 160 points in only 60 games. If you translate those numbers over a full season it equals 94 Goals, 124 Assists and 218 points. If you’ve ever been around someone who’s gone through the draining process of chemotherapy treatments you’ll know that walking around and stomaching food are accomplishments on their own let alone setting a scoring pace that betters the all-time mark.