Samsquanch
Raging Bull Squatch
Apologies if this has been done before guys. Lemieux was my childhood idol, and I've argued in favor of him as the greatest until I was blue and black in the face before.
But as I matured, and as I became less biased, I slowly acknowledged that you can't argue against Gretzky being the GOAT, its cut and dry if you consider his entire career.
But having said that, I still think that peak Lemieux was the greatest player that we've ever seen. I see his 88-89 performance get mentioned quite often, but it wasn't his most spectacular.
What he did in the 92-93 season, while battling hodgkins lymphoma and undergoing radiation therapy, all the while still destroying the league, easily must be the most impressive feat ever done in the history of the NHL by any player. The great one included.
I hate to quote Wikipedia, but here is the season run down;
Its so incredibly surreal when you consider that he was playing in an era with so many other hall of famers also in the peaks of their careers. And even with a half dead body he still was that much better than his peers.
In my mind, its quite possibly the most impressive performance by an individual in the history of pro sports.
But as I matured, and as I became less biased, I slowly acknowledged that you can't argue against Gretzky being the GOAT, its cut and dry if you consider his entire career.
But having said that, I still think that peak Lemieux was the greatest player that we've ever seen. I see his 88-89 performance get mentioned quite often, but it wasn't his most spectacular.
What he did in the 92-93 season, while battling hodgkins lymphoma and undergoing radiation therapy, all the while still destroying the league, easily must be the most impressive feat ever done in the history of the NHL by any player. The great one included.
I hate to quote Wikipedia, but here is the season run down;
The Penguins started the 1992–93 season well, and Lemieux set a franchise record with at least one goal in twelve consecutive games, from October 6 to November 1. He was on pace to challenge Gretzky's records of 92 goals in one season (1981–82) and 215 points in one season (1985–86), until January 12, 1993, when he made the shocking announcement that he had been diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma.
He was forced to undergo energy-draining aggressive radiation treatments, leaving his career and possibly his survival in doubt. He missed two months of play, and without him, the Penguins struggled. When he returned, he was 12 points behind Buffalo's Pat LaFontaine in the scoring race.
On the day of his last radiation treatment, Lemieux flew to Philadelphia to play against the Flyers, where he scored a goal and an assist in a 5-4 loss.
With Lemieux back, Pittsburgh won an NHL record 17 consecutive games to finish first overall for the first time in franchise history;their 119 points are still a franchise record. Lemieux scored at an incredible pace, notching an average 2.67 points per game—the third highest points-per-game for a season, behind only Wayne Gretzky's 1983–84 and 1985–86 averages of 2.77 and 2.69, respectively.
Lemieux won his second straight and fourth overall scoring title, finishing with 160 points (69 goals, 91 assists) in 60 games, beating out LaFontaine by 12 points.
Its so incredibly surreal when you consider that he was playing in an era with so many other hall of famers also in the peaks of their careers. And even with a half dead body he still was that much better than his peers.
In my mind, its quite possibly the most impressive performance by an individual in the history of pro sports.