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When asked about a favorite hockey player, the over-hyped obvious answer is Gretzky. However, I have always seen Mario Lemieux as a more dynamic and exciting player. While Gretzky spent the majority of his career in good health, Lemieux had cancer and recovered from his surgery to win the scoring title. Also, he had many injuries and back problems that slowed him down. He managed to have the highest points per game record which stands to this day. He even came back from retirement when he was the owner of the team to play again. This did not end up embarrassing him, it showed that he still had the magic touch for scoring and making perfect passes. He played within Gretzky's shadow for his entire career and did not receive the credit he deserves for an athlete of his caliber. His end-to-end rushes where he split the defence and scored in a dramatic fashion are difficult to re-create with even the best of today's players. However, it is a little hypocritical on my part to say that the defining moment of Lemieux's career came when he played with Gretzky on the Canada Cup in 1987. Lemieux, along with Gretzky scored many goals in the tournament, notably against their spectacular rival, the Soviet national team. Both the Soviet and Canadian teams were at their peak at the time and the series was tied going into game 7. The game was tied 5-5 with one and a half minutes left in the third period and right off the faceoff, Lemieux got the puck and passed it to Gretzky. Gretzky rushed down the left wing, dropped a pass back to Lemieux on a three on one and scored in the top left corner. I will always remember hearing: "He shoots, he scores! Mario Lemieux!" This definately matured Lemieux but revealed that he could play under the most intense pressure and be a key player at the highest levels. This is why I choose Mario.

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