Boyz II Jimenez

I remember I was reflecting on the team's season when it happened.

As I sat in my room pondering the Pittsburgh Penguins' latest defeat, a terrible 3-2 setback to the less-than-glorious Boston Bruins last Wednesday, I wondered if this was going to be yet another roller-coaster season for the Penguins.

For the past few seasons, the Penguins have struggled through the regular season and won just enough games to make the playoffs.

In the post-season, the Pens always play their best hockey, and many a top-seed has played a great season only to be eliminated by the underdog Penguins in the first round (a.k.a. New Jersey and Washington).

However, the Cinderella role only takes a team so far, and the Penguins have not visited the Eastern Conference finals since they lost in seven games to Florida in 1997. It is hardly a coincidence that it was the great Mario Lemieux's last season with the Penguins,.

Suddenly, I was woken from my reverie by a fellow Penguins fan that called me up and said, "You better take a look at this." As I read the article, tears almost came to my eyes.

Lemieux, "Super Mario", Pittsburgh's Hall of Fame center and possibly the greatest player to ever grace the ice, had decided to return to the NHL after three and a half years of retirement.

Lemieux had begun to work himself back into shape about two months ago, keeping his return a secret from everyone. He then approached Penguins' captain Jaromir Jagr and told him of his plan. Soon after, the word was out.

"I'm not coming back to embarrass myself," Lemieux said during a press conference held Monday. "That the last thing I would do. I wouldn't come back unless I thought I could play at a high level….to try to regain the title of the best player in the world." In my mind, Lemieux always was the best player in the world. Ok, maybe I am upsetting the hockey gods by going against Wayne Gretzky, but I believe Lemieux in his prime was as good as Gretzky ever was.

In Lemieux's rookie season with the then-lowly Penguins, he became only the third rookie in NHL history to score 100 points.

In 1988, Lemieux scored 199 points, only second to Gretzky's 212 for a single season.

In 1991, after missing the first 50 games of the season with a rare-bone disease caused by an infection, Lemieux returned and won the Conn Smythe trophy as the playoff MVP, leading the Penguins to their first Stanley Cup championship ever.

In 1992, after having his hand broken in the playoffs against the Rangers, Lemieux continued to play and once again won the Conn Smythe in giving Pittsburgh its second straight Stanley Cup.

And in 1993, Lemieux suffered the greatest blow of all.

"Super Mario" was diagnosed with a rare form of Hodgkin's disease, causing him to miss a great part of the season because of radiation therapy. Against all odds, Lemieux managed to battle back from the cancer and lead the league in scoring.

Later on, Lemieux's back began troubling him, causing him to miss many games through the latter part of his career. Still, in 1997, Lemieux scored his 600th career goal in his 719th game. Gretzky did it in his 718th.

Two things make me say that Lemieux is on an equal plateau with Gretzky. One, Lemieux returned from numerous injuries and even cancer, and was still the best player in the league. Gretzky never went through a fragment of the injuries that Lemieux did.

One would assume that his numbers were affected when he did play, since he had missed so much time and was not in top form, so his overall point totals and records, which are very close to Gretzky's anyways, could have been even higher.

Secondly, Lemieux, except for the latter part of his career, was a one-man army. He never had any superstars on his team until the arrival of Jagr, and he did not play for many years alongside the Czech superstar.

Gretzky, who had the six most prolific assist seasons in NHL history, played alongside Mark Messier and Paul Coffey, two tremendous players and certain Hall of Famers. With teammates like that, Gretzky's offensive arsenal was unlimited, and he showed it.

So, when anyone thinks of the greatest player in hockey, Gretzky obviously comes to mind, but Lemieux should be right alongside him.

Now Lemieux makes yet another comeback, hoping to lead the team he first built, then bought to save it from being sold to another city, once again to the Stanley Cup.

People say that he can't do it, that, as a fellow sports writer remarked, "he'll be wheezing on the ice." It is a well-known fact that greatness never fades, and no better word fits Lemieux.

Nobody dumped on Gretzky when he continued to play well past his prime, even though his numbers disappeared, and he showed everyone he was indeed human after all.

Lemieux joins Jagr, the game's most feared player, and Alexei Kovalev, a rising star for the Penguins, to form the NHL's most dangerous scoring trio.

Lemieux, which translated, fittingly means "the best," is back. As he told his young son when asked about his comeback: "Daddy is coming back to play with Jagr."

And pity any team that stands in their way.