Was Mario Lemieux the best player in the league from 2000 to 2006?

[shazariahl]

It's safe to say he wasn't the NHL's best player, considering it takes a per-game argument to get him there, and at least one player was better than him on a per-game basis...

NHL.com - Stats

I'm inclined to agree. Plus 3 of those seasons he played less than 30 games, one of them only 10. I can't say someone was the best player in the league when they only played 10 games.

If it's cool to ask without disrespecting/stealing the thunder of the OP, in the 01-02, 02-03 and 03-04 seasons, what caused Super Mario to miss time? Was it one "major" injury (a flareup of his bad back perhaps) or was it a variety of the nagging type of injury?

His back mainly. 2001-'02 was where he had a lot of problems with it. I feared he would miss the Olympics.

He also had a problem with heart murmurs IIRC, though I think that was more towards the end.

 

[Reindl87]

He was the best player from December 2000 to February 2003.
While his game did decline in the second half of the 03 season, he surely would have won the Art Ross if he didn't lose both Kovalev and Morozov. That line was so freaking electric and winning the Art Ross at Age 37 would have been an incredible feat and would have pushed Mario's legacy, no doubt.

 

[SuperScript29]

While I'm certain that a healthy Lemieux would have likely been the best, historically speaking, from that period I'd give the nod to the likes of Lidstrom, Sakic, Brodeur, and Forsberg, as they were constantly among the top players among their peers. I'd also give an HM to guys like Iginila and Naslund.

 

[The Panther]

I think we need to recall that Mario turned 37 at the start of 2002-03. Even a healthy All-Star player with less miles on him is extremely unlikely to dominate peers from that age. With his incomparable natural talent, Mario could still look like "Mario" for twenty or thirty games if things were clicking with linemates, etc., but that would not sustain for a full season.

I would say at anytime he played, Mario was the most skilled player, but once age catches up to you, you aren't the best, I think.

 

[Voight]

Joseph Sakic.

 

[crobro]

Joseph Sakic.

Josip Sakic

 

[Terry Yake]

from the time he came back in december 2000 to the second half of the 02-03 season i think he was

he was on an art ross winning scoring pace in 02--03 on a god awful penguins team before his linemates got hurt and then eventually he missed a bunch of games at the end of the season

 

[Richard]

If Marios back wouldn't have flared up in December of 03 and the Penguins wouldn't have traded Kovalev and Morozov wouldn't have gotten hurt then Mario would have won the Art Ross by 30 points; easily scoring 120+. He had 40 points in his first 20 games.

Mario was a different player during his comeback, much smarter and savy. He was making plays to allow Kovy and Morozov to score tons of points. His game worked, to a lesser extent, with the other AHL players on the roster but after Kovy and Morozov went down the only one he could consistently count on to produce was Dick friggen Tarnstrum....

And when he wasnt nursing injury (back and hip surgey which ended his 02 campaign) Mario could still skate ....