On Dec. 27, 2000, Pittsburgh was buzzing. That evening, at the Mellon Arena, Hockey Hall of Famer and Pittsburgh Penguins owner Mario Lemieux was coming out of retirement.
In one of the NHL’s most iconic moments, Lemieux hit the ice shortly after 7:00 pm local time in front of a sold-out crowd and a national audience on ESPN.
The last time the Penguins faithful saw the greatest player in franchise history in person was on Apr. 23, 1997, when he finished Game 4 of a first-round playoff series against the Philadelphia Flyers with one of the most poetic goals ever.
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Three nights later in Philadelphia, Lemieux’s career ended in a 6-3 loss, despite the captain’s best effort to prolong the series with two points.
By the end of the calendar year, Lemieux didn’t need to pass Go to enter the Hockey Hall of Fame, as the committee waived the three-year mandatory waiting period to induct one of the game’s best.
Eventually, he organized a group to buy the Penguins out of bankruptcy in 1999 and, within a year of becoming the principal owner, started working on his comeback tour.
Related: Does Mario Lemieux Still Own the Penguins?
In late 2000, Lemieux was ready to return to the lineup, with a target date of Dec. 27, the team’s first contest after the Christmas break.
Ahead of their tilt with the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Penguins had a record of 15-14-6-1 with 37 points, good enough for third place in the Atlantic Division.
After setting up Jaromir Jagr 33 seconds into his first game in three years, he would change Pittsburgh’s trajectory for the remainder of the season.
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During the 5-0 win over the Maple Leafs, Lemieux made the home crowd happy with a second-period goal and another helper. He ended his night with three points and contributed 60% to the team’s offense.
In only 43 games that season, he scored 35 goals and 76 points to finish 30th in NHL scoring and second in Hart Trophy voting.
Meanwhile, Jagr scored 121 points to win the Art Ross Trophy and finished third in Hart Trophy voting, an award won by Joe Sakic.
With Lemieux in the lineup, the Penguins compiled a record of 27-14-3-2 and 59 points to finish third in the Atlantic Division behind the New Jersey Devils (111 points) and Philadelphia Flyers (100 points).
Related: 5 Unbreakable Mario Lemieux Penguins Records
In the playoffs, Pittsburgh defeated the Washington Capitals (4-1) and Buffalo Sabres (4-3) before falling to the Devils in five games.
Unfortunately, it was the final time Lemieux would skate in the Stanley Cup playoffs, as the Penguins didn’t advance to the postseason until 2006-07, the second year of the Sidney Crosby era.
From 1984 to 1997, Lemieux scored 613 goals, 881 assists, and 1,494 points in 745 games. Upon his return in 2000, he skated in 170 more games, scoring 77 goals, 152 assists, and 229 points.
Since his retirement in December 2005, Lemieux has remained the Penguins’ all-time leading scorer with 1,723 points.
