This Cup Belongs To You Mario

by Puneet Singh

I couldn't and still cannot describe my happiness for the Pittsburgh Penguins winning the Stanley Cup against the Detroit Red Wings this year.

This has nothing to do with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin or any other player on the Penguins.

This doesn't even deal with Marian Hossa losing yet AGAIN in the Stanley Cup Finals in the same matchup from last year(this time for the Red Wings).

This has nothing to do with Detroit finally being dethroned and kicked off their mantle of success.

This is all for Super Mario; his trials of tribulation and hardwork have all come full circle and deservedly so.

The only words to describe Mario Lemieux may be Messiah and Savior. He's played the role of both for the Pittsburgh Penguins franchise on countless occasions.

Whether it was scoring a key goal for the Pens or buying the team he lived and died for to save them from contraction, Lemieux has done everything in his power to singe handily save hockey for Pittsburgh and in the same time make the Penguins a contender for the long run, even through the bad years.

Lemieux led the Pens to their only Stanley Cup titles in 1991 and 1992. Up until these last two years, those were the only time the Penguins even MADE it to the Stanley Cup finals.

Upon the financial crisis of the club in the late 1990's coupled with Mario's retirement, he bought the team on September 1st, 1999; not only saving them from being moved out of Pittsburgh by any other owner, but from being shutdown and contracted.

All the while, Mario also managed to battle and defeat Hodgkin's disease and Atrial Fibrillation. Both not only career threatening but LIFE threatening.

So How Could The Pittsburgh Penguins possibly EVER Repay Mario?

Continue the winning form of this year.
By winning the Stanley Cup this year it was the ultimate and proper "Thank You" for a man that has bent over backwards one way or another to help this organization out.

The Penguins are in a great spot to succeed right now. A solid blend of young players mixed with savvy veterans tells the tale of how they've been successful the last two years. With Malkin, Crosby, Fleury and Staal all in place for the long term, the future looks bright as ever.

The Penguins delivered this postseason by helping to promote the NHL with all the marquee players and the big win.

Think about this; would this have been possible if Mario didn't step in almost 10 years ago and used the $30 million he was owned by the Penguins in deferred salary to help buy the team?

At the end of the day the point is this: Let's not all forget what Lemieux has given the Pens even after his retirement.

World Class Athletes are made every day, but World Class human beings are a rare breed. Athletes like Mario Lemieux bring more to the game. Let's just take the moment to see all he has given to not only Pittsburgh but the NHL.