Mario Lemieux is arguably the best hockey player in history. He may not have the same number of points, records, or silverware as Wayne Gretzky, but had he not missed so many games—who knows? Lemieux is often described as the perfect teammate and leader, something he truly proved during Ryan Malone’s rookie year, when the coaches wanted to send him down…
In the 2003–2004 season, the Pittsburgh Penguins were on a downward spiral. They had missed the playoffs for two straight seasons, and Mario Lemieux was beginning to see the end of his career. But that didn’t stop him from being a great leader. Just ask Ryan Malone.
Partying hard
Malone, drafted in the fourth round back in 1999 by the Penguins, had played college hockey for St. Cloud State University in the NCAA from 1999 to 2003, before joining the Penguins for the 2003–2004 season. Despite making it to the big league, it seemed Malone wasn’t quite ready to leave his college days behind. He liked a good night out, Ryan Whitney told the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast in 2022—something the coaches didn’t exactly appreciate.
Mario Lemieux saved his career
“He was ripping it up off the ice. He was having a time. They had a big night in San Jose, and the next morning they flew to Long Island. They got to the hotel at 8 p.m. They had a two o’clock game, he still went out, and scored the OT winner. The coaches had had enough. So after that trip, even though he scored the OT winner, he got ripped in the office, like, ‘We’re f*cking sending you down,’” Whitney said.
“When they got back to Pittsburgh, they had a real meeting. And after, he was kind of white-faced like, ‘I think they’re sending me down.’ Then he went up to Mario and said, ‘Hey Mario, I think they’re sending me down,’” Whitney said.
But then, Mario Lemieux stepped in.
“Mario looked at him and said, ‘Kid, you’re not going anywhere,’” Whitney recalled. By that, Lemieux—who was on the same line as Malone that year—made it clear he wasn’t going to let the coaches send him down to the minors.
Mario Lemieux—what a legend!
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