In French the name Lemieux means "the best." From the time he joined the National Hockey League in 1984, Mario Lemieux became one of, if not the, "best" players in the league. Three times he won the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL's Most Valuable Player (MVP); he led the league in scoring six times and was the captain of two Stanley Cup championship teams with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Some experts think Lemieux was a better player than Wayne Gretzky, considered by many to be the best player of all time. Lemieux rose to the top despite a serious back injury and a life-threatening disease. During his career, which ended briefly following the 1996-97 season, he earned the title "Super Mario." Already a legend, he reaffirmed his superiority when he returned to play in 2001.

Mario Lemieux was born October 5, 1965, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He grew up in the suburb...