Pittsburgh Superstars: Mario Lemieux

BEIJING, CHINA — As the Olympics get underway, we are shining a light on past Winter Olympics winners with ties to Pittsburgh.

First up is the one and only – Mario Lemieux.

Lemieux made his Olympic debut in 2002 in Salt Lake City.

He was the captain of Team Canada’s ice hockey team which was full of NHL stars.

During the games, Lemieux tallied six points over five games and led the Canadians to gold with a dramatic win over Team U.S.A.

He did it during a season when a hip injury forced him to miss all but one Penguins game after the Olympic games were over.

Lemieux talked about that several years ago.

“You have to play through pain especially playing for your country,” he said. “It’s something important to all of us, as Canadians especially after 50 years. To be a part of the history of the game since I was 3 years old it was a great experience and something I will cherish forever.”

The score of the gold medal game was Canada five, U.S.A. two.

The gold was Canada’s first after a 50-year drought.

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