Mario Lemieux Quotes (103 Quotes)


    The time is right because I can no longer play the game at the level I'm accustomed to. I think the best decision is to retire as a player and turn the game over to the younger guys who are the future of this team and this league. It's a young man's game now.

    He's going to be on Canada's team for the next 15, 20 years.

    It's going to be tough. For us to get in the playoffs, we have to win 10 or 12 games in a row and get back in it. That's the only way we can do it.

    That means he's played well and he's helped the team. If he get all his bonuses, he deserves to make that money.

    I've done pretty much everything that I've wanted to do in the game. Winning two Stanley Cups allows me to leave the game in peace.


    It was just that type of game where he didn't have that many odd-man rushes. It's just the way the game went. We've seen him play a few games so far, and we look forward to a great season from him.

    When you don't skate for this long a period of time, it's difficult to come back and get your legs underneath you, especially at this stage of the season when everybody else is in pretty good shape.

    I hope all parties continue talking and come to a solution for the betterment of the game.

    I'm feeling good. It's something I have to deal with for the rest of my life, but the medication takes care of that.

    All I can say to the young players is, enjoy every moment of it. Just enjoy every moment of it. Your career goes by very quickly.

    I thought he skated very well. He showed a lot of strength at times protecting the puck. That's a good start for him, he was one of the best players out there.

    As I've said, in 2007, we're free to go and we'll just have to do what's best for the business.

    I didn't speak English until I came to Pittsburgh.

    But a year off probably hurt some of these guys who didn't stay in shape. It's always tough to come back after a year off.

    I've gone through back surgery a couple times, and of course, my radiation treatments for six weeks got me to the point where I was not able to play at the level that I was accustomed to.

    A month before the season I stop putting ketchup on my french fries.

    We talked after that game about moving the puck faster, the last couple of weeks we've been standing still too much on the power play and we wanted some more movement.

    I think people in Montreal smoke a lot, and I used to smoke when I was 17-18, and just picked it up when I was playing juniors. But I think I stopped when I was 22, which was a big decision in my life.

    The chances are there, it's going to come, ... One of these games, we are going to explode for a few goals and get our confidence back. I think the guys are a little uptight right now.

    This team really belongs in Pittsburgh. It's always been my goal to keep them here. I think we have a great plan to do that. We don't want the team to leave. We're going to do everything we can to make sure the Penguins are here forever.

    I'm here today to announce my retirement from the game of hockey. This is always a difficult decision to make for any athlete, but I feel the time has come and its in the best interest of myself, my family and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

    The kids love him and have a good time with him, so it's been an easy adjustment thus far.

    Certainly we're not satisfied with just winning games. We've been playing some pretty good hockey, but we think we can play much better.

    Depending on how we start the season, I can play center or wing... It doesn't matter to me.

    It's disappointing. Any time you start a season, you want to start well. We've lost in overtime and in shootouts. It's just the way it's going.

    I'm glad I had the opportunity to play with him throughout my career and he was a great champion.


    Our only goal is to make the playoffs. We don't care about the rest of the hockey world. I think we're going to surprise a lot of people.

    This is always a difficult decision for any athlete to make.

    We have a system, but guys aren't playing together and aren't all on the same page. We start playing when we're down two or three goals and you can't do that. That comes from not preparing mentally to play the game.

    I think so. Not only (because of) his talent, but the way he thinks about the game. He's dedicated to the game of hockey. A lot of guys have had talent in the past, but to put the mind that he has with his talent is special.

    I can no longer play at a level I was accustomed to in the past.

    He's been great for us, ... He has a passion for the game almost like Bob Johnson. He's really our leader. We need to listen to him.

    If we have a great team and the politicians see the excitement we bring to the city, and the taxes we generate for this community, I think it's an easy sell, ... But politics doesn't always work that way.

    Well, I think just a desire to come back and be a part of the game again.

    I'm only 35, and I felt that the time was right to try to come back and have a chance for him to see me play.

    He's only 4 years old, so I don't think he realized, you know, that I played so many years. Of course, we watch tapes here from the Stanley Cup years, but I don't think he realized how many years I played.

    He (Crosby) is our best player, night-in and night-out, that's incredible. He just keeps getting better.

    He really gave us an opportunity to turn this franchise around overnight.

    He's a great kid down to earth, ... We spend a lot of time together. We drive everywhere together. He's really dedicated to the game, which is amazing when you consider his age.

    It should be a no-brainer for the community and the politicians, ... If an owner is willing to pay for his own arena, what else more would you want than that

    It's amazing what he can do at 18. He's just turned 18. In a couple of years, he could be scary.

    When I bought the team in 1999, my goal was to keep the team here forever and that's not going change. Now, it's up to the gaming board, local politicians and local leaders to support our plan, which is by far the best one out there from what I have seen. Hopefully, we can get it done.

    It just took a while. I think now we're playing as a team, moving the puck pretty well and passing the puck pretty well, which we didn't do in the first 10 games. It's an important road trip and we're off to a good start.

    Since the beginning, I always loved the game. When you grow up in Montreal, one day you want to be a professional hockey player. When I was six or seven, I knew that was what I wanted.

    I think it's going to make our job, the stars, a little bit easier, they way they call the game now,

    People are all excited, saying we're going to make money now ... but in this building, that's the best we can do, ... Even if we go to the finals, we're not going to make money.

    We've been rebuilding for three years, it's time to put a great team on ice and, to do that, we're willing to lose and we're going to lose more money next year, ... We're prepared to do this to have a chance to win. We feel this is a great opportunity for us.

    Everybody understands that he's the future of the franchise. He's done even better this season than we thought he'd do. The way he's played, at that age, is quite amazing.

    It's a long time to not win, especially so early in the season. It's certainly not the start we wanted, especially with the personnel we have here.


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