Loading ...As the National Hockey League prepares to showcase the biggest names in their sport this weekend, the Pittsburgh Penguins are preparing a showcase of their own.
A few days ago, the Penguins announced that they will be honoring former player and current owner Mario Lemieux with a statue that will be placed outside of the Consol Energy Center.
The statue, which has been named "Le Magnifique," will be unveiled on March 7th at noon. The public ceremony will be held at the northwest gate.
If you are planning to go, it would be highly recommended that you show up very early. The special occasion is sure to draw hundreds if not thousands of Penguins fans from near and far to honor the man who single-handedly saved the franchise multiple times.
Lemieux was the first overall pick in the 1984 draft out of Montreal. Throughout the course of his 915 regular-season games, Lemieux scored 690 goals and 1,033 assists for a total of 1723 points. In 107 playoff games, Lemieux added 76 goals and 96 assists.
Mario cemented his legacy as a Pittsburgh and National Hockey League legend when he helped the Penguins secure back-to-back Stanley Cup titles in 1991 and 1992.
On a team of superstars and future Hall of Famers, Mario stood shoulders above the rest and never failed to shine when the spotlight was on him.
Lemieux then stepped up to the challenge of restoring the Penguins to greatness in 1999 when he became the owner of the franchise.
The poor financial management of the organization led to an uncertain future almost sure to take place in another city, but Mario led the team out of that dismal situation.
Finally in 2007, the Pittsburgh owner was able to orchestrate a deal that would keep the Penguins in the city of Pittsburgh for a very long time in the brand new Consol Energy Center.
Pittsburgh has also added one Stanley Cup victory under Lemieux’s ownership group in 2009.
The victory makes Mario Lemieux the only person in the history of the National Hockey League to win a title as both a player and owner
Tags: Hockey, Le Magnifique, Mario Lemieux, NHL, Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh PenguinsRelated Videos
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