UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Monday, April 28,1997
3B
Lemieux retires after playoff loss
Injuries, disease force star away from rough sport
By Alan Robinson The Associated Press
PITTSBURGH — Until now, Mario Lemieux could not say the word never.
They said a team as bad as the Pittsburgh Penguins could never win the Stanley Cup. Lemieux proved them wrong.
They said a hockey player could never be as revered as a Roberto Clemente or a Terry Bradshaw in a city that tolerated hockey but never took to it. He proved them wrong.
They said an athlete could never undergo debilitating cancer treatment in the morning, then be his game's best player that night. He proved them wrong.
Now, they say a relatively young athlete such as Lemieux could never retire happily. And, again, Lemieux intends to prove them wrong.
Asked when his seemingly premature retirement will end — after all, Gordie Howe came back at 44 — and he will rejoin the Pittsburgh Penguins to win perhaps yet another scoring title, Lemieux said, unhesitatingly, "Never."
Weary of all the clutching and
grabbing that has reduced his scoring average, Lemieux has had enough. As of 11 p.m. Saturday, the end of the Fenguins' season, he is officially retired.
He quit on his terms, not those of some team owner or commissioner.
"I did it mv wav." Lemieux said.
"I did it my way," Lemieux said. The last comparable Hall of Fame-caliber athlete to leave on his own volition, rather than injury, while still at the top of his game was former Cleveland Browns star Jim Brown.
"it's hard for me to understand," said Joe Mullen, the Penguins' 500-goal scorer who also is retiring. "Everybody's different. I guess I'm driven by playing all the time and the love of the game, and maybe Mario's driven by something else."
Like Brown, Lemieux is his own man, a loner unwilling to follow the status quo. Lemieux didn't just win three MVP awards while leading a once-dreadful franchise to two Stanley Cups, he elevated the act of scoring goals into an art form. He also beat two career-threatening back operations and Hodgkin's disease, a form of cancer that attacks the lymph nodes.
Through it all — 13 seasons, 683 goals, 1,649 points — Lemieux cared not about everyone else's expectations, just his own. Perhaps that is the burden of a last name that translates, in French, into "the best."
"It's a sad day for me to leave
hockey, which I have been playing since I was 3, but I'm going to be a lot happier, too," Lemieux said Saturday after a season-ending 6-3 playoff loss in Philadelphia. "The way I've been playing the last five or six years has been very frustrating for me and I can't accept it."
Lemieux's marginal drop off in production is comparable to a slugger who slips from 45 homers a season to 30. Lemieu had a league-leading 122 points — his second consecutive scoring title and his fourth in his last five seasons — but the total seems minuscule to a player who once scored 199.
No, he didn't break Wayne Gretzky's single-season or career scoring records, but Lemieux never had comparable teammates until back problems undercut his career.
He has no plans for the next year, only to spend time with his evergrowing family — wife Nathalie is expecting their fourth child — and play golf. He wants to return to Pebble Beach and some of the historic courses in Britain, and there is speculation he will turn pro.
"I've been around for 13 years, and I've had a great run, but I think it's time to get away from hockey," Lemieux said.
"I'm going to take it day by day for year and do whatever I want, then decide what I want to do," Lemieux said.
Hockey does not figure in his
"It's a sad day for me to leave hockey, which I have been playing since I was 3, but I'm going to be a lot happier,too."
Mario Lemieux Pittsburg Penguins forward
plans, on or off the ice. He probably does not have the people skills or ambition to be a coach or the patience to be an executive. No, he is content with his life away from the rink, his fortune, his legacy as the No. 6 scorer in NHL history.
"I want to be remembered just as somebody who was able to take a team that was the worst in the league and ... win a championship," he said. "A lot of players played 15-20 years and never won a Stanley Cup. I'm very proud I accomplished that. I've missed many games over my career. It's been difficult. ... But I'm happy with my place in history."
HOROSCOPES
Today's Birthday (April 28)
You are awesome this year! If you start saving now, you can visit the land of your roots in January. Meanwhile, make a romantic commitment in May. Take action on it—as in getting married—in September. Guard against a financial loss in December. Travel in January. In February, you will face an unusual situation at work with an unexpected outcome. Be guided by your own experience and that of a person you admire. Study history to achieve the future you envision.
Aries (March 21-April 19) -
Todav is a 5.
If you're willing to face a tough authority figure today, you could get your heart's desire. If there's no room for advancement at your company, go interview at another one. These conditions don't happen every day, you know. Make the most of them.
Taurus (April 20-May 20)
Today is an 8.
Gemini (May 21-June 21)
Today is a 6.
You probably woke up madly in love. It's from the dreams you had last night. In them, everything you could imagine was possible. Well, the good news is that it is possible. The bad news is, you still have to make it happen. But there's more good news: You can do it.
Is it time for you to move from an apartment into a house? Start looking around. You don't have to have much in the way of a down payment. There may be some other means of qualifying for the loan. You're lucky with other people's money today, so it's worth a try.
Cancer (June 22-July 22)
Today is a 9.
Your friends and your partner are all supporting you in achieving your goals. You still may have to do the work, but they're cheering you on. Even more important, they're running interference for you. So instead of feeling like you're out there alone, be thankful.
Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) - Today is a 5.
Pay attention—there could be a pop quiz. It's a sure bet your boss is paying attention to you. You always attract a lot of that. You're brilliantly outspoken and decisive—a natural leader. Don't act like the boss to the boss, however. That would be a big mistake.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -
Today is a 10.
Go ahead and begin all the projects you've been thinking about.
Even the most outrageous fantasies you've been secretly harboring could come true. What are you waiting for? You're not getting any younger, you know. Make the commitment, and you'll make it happen.
Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) -
Today is a 5.
Something important is going on at your house. Either you're fixing things up, throwing things out or moving. Doesn't ring a bell? It might be something your true love has in mind that he or she hasn't told you about. Better check.
Scorpio (Oct. 24-Nov. 21) -
Today is a 7.
You're even smarter than usual today. You're getting a little help from your friends, too. Put it all together, and you're just about even with your main competition. Most of the time you get whatever you want pretty easily. Today, you're going to have to work for it.
You don't have to be stuck in a dead-end, minimum-wage job. If you really can't find anything you like, create something. You're a marvelous salesperson, naturally. You can sell anything as long as it works. There is that one
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec.
21)-Today is a 6.
little stipulation,but that's not a problem.It's why people trust you.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19).
Today is a 9.
Go ahead and start whatever projects you've been thinking about. You'll run into hassles—some as soon as this afternoon. That's OK with you. "Hassles" is your middle name. You take on all the toughest jobs, just for the fun of it. You're hot!
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
Today is a 5.
Your brilliant idea is not going over—at least not yet. You can't figure out why your roommate is being so stubborn, and he or she can't figure out how you can be so bizarre. If you can stall until tomorrow, you'll have a better chance of getting what you want.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) -
Today is an 8.
You should feel loved. However, you may only feel stressed. That's because you're trying to do something you don't feel confident about. Well, look around. Accept the support of your friends and family. They think you can do it—and guess what? They're right.
NOTE: Horoscopes have no basis in scientific fact and should be read for entertainment only.
DON'S AUTO CENTER
"For all your repair needs"
*Import and Domestic
Auto Repair
*Machine Shop Service
*Parts Department
NATURAL WAY
• NATURAL FIBER CLOTHING • NATURAL BODY CARE
*820-822 MASS, *841-0100
841-4833
920 E. 11th Street
$5 off
your next haircut
25th & Iowa
841-6886
expires 4/30/97
- TM250A4 Hard Drive
* 2.5GB Capacity
* 11ms seek
MICROTECH Computers
2540 Iowa, Suite F 842-2687
Quantum
Alpine Hut, Outfitters for outdoor people
EVERYTHING
BUT ICE
BEDS • DESKS
CHEST OF DRAWERS
BOOK CASES
LAYAWAY FOR SUMMER
unclaimed freight &
damaged merchandise
936 Mass.
Piranha Special
SPRING CLEARANCE SALE
April 11-April 27
BIRKENSTOCKS
All styles, $59.95
THE NORTH FACE
Selected sleeping Bags,
25% off
Sale Limited to in-store stock
M-F 10-9 Sat 10-6 Sun 12-5
(913) 648-4333
8931 Metcalf
Macintosh. Power at your fingertips.
union technology center
Academic Supplies, Service & Equipment
913-864-5690
VISA
DJCOVER
MasterCard
Bonus Buys with any purchase
5 Wings $1.99
Small Cheese Pizza $1.89
12" Stix $3.74
Bread Stix $2.10
7300/200
(604e)32/2GB/12xCD
$2475.00
FAST FREE DELIVERY
$ 3^{rd} $ Floor Burge Union
GUMBY DAMMIT
Large Cheese Pizza
$3.99*
or 2 for $7.99
add. topping .99/ piza
*minimum delivery $4.98
For Limited Time Only
6500/250
(603e)32/3GB/12xCD/Zip
$2175.00 7
Union Technology Center Power at your fingertips! PowerMacs
7300/180
(604e)16/2GB/12xCD
$2105.00
841-5000 1445 W.23rd
GRADUATING STUDENTS
Don't worry, if you still need a cap & gown The Only Official Graduation Regalia is still available...
Call KU Concessions at 864-3515