Super Mario
25 Jan 2006Super Mario. The Francophone Kid. The Magnificent One. The boy who went to steel town USA and became a man saving their hockey team.
He has stepped away from the game he loves once more, and this time will be the last time. He has always magic to watch on the ice. Where Gretzky had hard work, force of will, a good hard shot and lady luck; Mario simply danced and dazzled. Gretzky made the puck go in the net, but for Mario it went in because it wanted to.
For a lot of people Mario is a hero. He was one of those rare people who become a legend in their prime. Mario brought glory and fame to the Penguins by delivering the Stanley Cup.
When Canadians doubted Mario's commitment to his country, he brought Canada gold. In doing so he became unable to finish the rest of the season with Pittsburgh. While this surely made Penguins fans unhappy, it helped to further immortalize The Magnificent One among his fellow Canadians.
It is sad to see such a wonderful career plagued by so many health problems. It is sad to see such a great player forced out of the game before his time.
Good luck to you Mario. The Hockey World will miss you.