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Sunday, December 31, 2000
Is Dec. 27 too early?
By Al Morganti
Special to ESPN.com
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One of the questions concerning the return of Mario Lemieux to the
Pittsburgh Penguins has been: "What's the rush?"
| |  | | | Lemieux |
| |  | | | Jagr |
There are those who would like to know why Lemieux is so determined to get
back on the ice by Wednesday night's game on his old home ice against the
Toronto Maple Leafs. There are those who wonder why he doesn't admit to the
rust, which can develop over more than three years, and take a little more
time to get back in game shape.
Why so early?
Well, why not?
While speaking to Lemieux several times since word of this comeback leaked
early this month, one aspect of this return is very clear: Mario Lemieux
does not think rust is an issue. In what might be a self-defense
mechanism against doubt, Lemieux has made it very clear that he expects to
come back to the NHL and be dominant.
In fact, he has already warned Jaromir Jagr that he intends to come back and be the best player. Lemieux won't come out and make a bold statement about the
near future, but when you talk to him, you quickly understand that he can see a day in June when he is again carrying the Stanley Cup around the ice.
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The Penguins are 0-3-3 in their last six games, and they have lost five in a row at home, something which has not happened since before the first Mario Lemieux era. They are also 1-4-3 since it was announced that Lemieux was coming back. |
Throughout his career, Lemieux never lived by the rules and expectations of
other players. He came back from Hodgkin's disease and a chronic bad back
quicker than many expected, and he made a run for a scoring title when nobody
thought he could muster that much energy.
As much as any star can be a natural -- and that does not discount the work it
takes to get to an elite level -- Lemieux is a "natural" hockey star. For him,
the idea that he would need months of practice with the team before he can be
effective does not compute.
Of course, as for the specific date of December 27th, there are other
factors. For one, the Penguins are at the start of a four-game home stand.
And if you owned a team, wouldn't you want your star player to come back to
start a holiday home stretch?
There is also the matter of the team's performance. At this point, waiting for
the return of Lemieux has become a hindrance. The Penguins have been damaged
by injury, but they also looked mentally wobbly when the Dallas Stars
hammered them over the weekend.
The Penguins are 0-3-3 in their last six games, and they have lost five in a
row at home, something which has not happened since before the first Mario
Lemieux era. They are also 1-4-3 since it was announced that Lemieux was
coming back.
There really is no reason to wonder why Lemieux would come back so quickly
once you understand that, as soon as Lemieux made the announcement, time in
Pittsburgh was suspended until he actually got back on the ice. And if there
are really hopes for a Stanley Cup in Pittsburgh next spring, Lemieux could
not allow time to be suspended very long.
Al Morganti covers the NHL for ESPN.
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ALSO SEE
Mario Lemieux: A magnificent return
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