Mario Lemieux is undoubtedly the best player in Pittsburgh Penguins history.
Not only did he lead the franchise to its first Stanley Cup title, but he was so dynamic on the ice that the league waived his three-year waiting period and immediately inducted him into the Hockey Hall of Fame when he retired in 1997.
He also bought the team out of bankruptcy and saved the franchise from leaving town twice. If Lemieux had stayed healthy his entire career, he would have challenged many of Wayne Gretzky’s records.
While those conversations will last for another millennium, Lemieux’s place in Pittsburgh sports history is undeniable. As one of the greatest professional athletes to wear the black and gold, he set franchise records that may never be broken in our lifetimes or our children’s.
Below you will find five of these untouchable and unbreakable records.
5. Single season plus/minus rating
In 1992-92, Lemieux set the franchise record with a plus-55 rating in 60 games, a total that ranks 82nd in NHL history.
In terms of his place in Penguins history, Lemieux is the only one with a plus/minus total higher than 50, with Hall of Famer Larry Murphy in second place with a plus-45 mark from the same 1992-93 season.
No one in the 21st century has surpassed Matt Niskanen’s record of plus-33 in 2013-14. Pascal Dupuis (plus-31) and Brian Dumoulin (plus-31) are the only other skaters in the plus-30 club.
Sidney Crosby may be one of the best players in team history, but his personal best is only plus-26.
Unless the score changes drastically, it will be difficult for anyone to equal or even break his record of plus-55, which is now more than 30 years old.
4. Power Play Points Total
During his career, Lemieux was one of the most dangerous power play specialists in hockey, scoring 236 goals in excess and finishing with 701 power play points.
In terms of his place in NHL history, Lemieux ranks fifth, behind Gretzky (890), Ray Bourque (761), Ron Francis (727) and Al MacInnis (722).
Despite playing fewer than 1,000 games, Super Mario amassed 701 power play points. Crosby is the second-closest player in Penguins history to that milestone, with nearly 1,300 games and just 560 points.
Based on averages, Crosby averages about 28 man-advantage points per season. So if Sid the Kid wanted to catch up to his former linemate, he would have to play at least five more seasons and average close to 30 points to catch up to Lemieux.
3. Total points per season
Only one player, Gretzky, has ever scored 200 points in a single season. In the early 1980s, he had totals of 215, 212, 208, and 205.
The only other skater to ever come close to 200 is Lemieux, who scored 199 in 1988-89.
No less than 85 goals and 114 assists from Le Magnifique! 🐐
On this day in 1989, Mario Lemieux scored his 199th point, which earned him the Art Ross Trophy later that year. photo.twitter.com/zsVshFwXPH
—Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 2, 2024
Through 2024, only Gretzky and Lemieux have scored more than 160 points in a season, despite the best efforts of Steve Yzerman (155) and Connor McDavid (153).
Jaromir Jagr (121) and Crosby (120) have the most single-season points for the Penguins since 1993. It may be a generation or two before anyone comes close to matching Lemieux’s best seasons.
2. Average points per game in your career
Due to injuries and illness, Lemieux played only 915 regular season games, totaling 1,723 points. When he retired in 1997, his 2.01 points per game average was only bettered by Gretzky, who was still averaging 2.03 (at the time).
After his comeback in 2000, he reduced his career total to 1.88, which still ranks second in NHL history behind Gretzky (1.92).
For comparison, his 6’8 total is the best in Penguins history, ahead of Jaromir Jagr (6’3), Paul Coffey (6’3) and Crosby (6’2).
Considering Crosby is less than 200 points shy of taking over Lemieux’s spot as the franchise’s all-time leading scorer, with a career average of just 1.25, it’s safe to say that he, let alone anyone else, has no chance of grabbing the 66th spot in this category.
1. Goal in every situation Game
On December 31, 1988, Lemieux recorded his first five-goal game. He was, of course, not the first or last player to achieve this feat.
However, Le Magnifique is the only player in NHL history who manages to impress in every possible way, with an even lineup, an undermanned team, a power play, penalty kicks and empty net goals.
Since no one else in professional hockey has matched his performance that night, it’s safe to assume no one will ever match his record in a Penguins jersey.
