I think that with a lot of hard work and dedication, I feel that I could be the best in the world. I’m still only 35 years old… I have a fresh start physically and mentally, and I feel that I can achieve my goal to be the best again. – Mario Lemieux
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. – Mario Lemieux
Once I’m at the arena with the guys in the dressing room, and in the bus, and on the plane, I’m a player. And I sit in the back with the players and I play cards and try to take their money. – Mario Lemieux
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. – Mario Lemieux
I think the lottery changed everything for us. Once we got Sidney, it helped us turn this franchise around overnight. – Mario Lemieux
My son, he is the reason I got involved. It’s been a joy to be around him and teach him the stuff that I know, and to the other kids as well. When he started playing I wanted to be involved in his hockey career. It’s a lot of fun for both of us. – Mario Lemieux
When I’m able to see the ice ahead of time when I get the puck, I’m able to make some pretty good plays. – Mario Lemieux
Depending on how we start the season, I can play center or wing… It doesn’t matter to me. – Mario Lemieux
I don’t try to match wine with food, I just drink what I like. And I think a lot of people are going towards that now, which never used to be in the past. – Mario Lemieux
One thing I hate is people screaming at me. If you want me to do something, talk to me. – Mario Lemieux
We, as a league, must do a better job of protecting the integrity of the game and the safety of our players. – Mario Lemieux
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. – Mario Lemieux
I have two main reasons for retiring. The first is I can no longer play at a level I was accustomed to in the past. That has been very, very frustrating to me throughout this past year. The second one is realizing my health, along with my family, is the most important thing in the world. – Mario Lemieux
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. – Mario Lemieux
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. – Mario Lemieux
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. – Mario Lemieux
When it comes to hockey, it’s been in my blood since I was 3 or 4 years old. I love coaching the kids, especially at that level. – Mario Lemieux
Everybody I talked to – from my friends to my family and some of the players – really gave me a lot of support from the start. And that certainly made me feel good about trying to come back and be one of the best again. – Mario Lemieux
