‘Burgh’s Best to Wear it, No. 66: Iconic moments made Mario Lemieux timeless

The Tribune-Review sports staff is conducting a daily countdown of the best players in Pittsburgh pro and college sports history to wear each jersey number.

No. 66: Mario Lemieux

As the No. 1 overall pick in the 1981 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s draft, Mario Lemieux wanted to prove he would be that league’s best player, even at the age of 16.

Previously, he had worn No. 27, the same number as his older brother Alain.

But Lemieux wanted to be his own man.

And he wanted to outshine the man who was considered the best hockey player in the world, Wayne Gretzky.

So he briefly considered changing to No. 99. Instead, he decided to flip that upside down and go with No. 66.

Ultimately, that number became as much a part of his identity as his elegance and his ability to create iconic moments.

After Penguins management drove the team into the ground during the infamous 1983-84 campaign, they positioned themselves to draft Lemieux with the top pick in spring 1984. Almost immediately, he showed he was up for the challenge of resurrecting the moribund franchise by scoring on his first shot and first NHL shift in Boston.

Despite having little in the way of a supporting crew, Lemieux would challenge Gretzky for the NHL’s individual awards, such as the Hart Trophy, throughout the mid- to late-1980s.

A back injury hobbled him throughout the 1989-90 and 1990-91 campaigns. But he was able to return in 1991 to lead the Penguins to the franchise’s first Stanley Cup title that spring.

He would repeat that feat in 1992.

Lemieux was in line to make a run at the vaunted 200-point mark in 1992-93 when a bout with Hodgkin’s disease derailed his season, but not enough to stop him from claiming the Art Ross Trophy as the league’s leading scorer with 161 points in 60 games.

Despite winning the scoring title again in 1996 and ’97, Lemieux grew frustrated with the increasingly defensive nature of the game and retired following the 1996-97 campaign.

Having saved the franchise more than a decade earlier, Lemieux rescued it again in 1999 by taking the money he was owed and putting it toward purchasing the Penguins out of bankruptcy, helping ensure they would remain in Pittsburgh.

Lemieux the owner found a unique way to boost his team’s fortunes on the ice by adding Lemieux the player. Coming out of retirement in December 2000, Lemieux became the first player/owner in professional sports since the early part of the 20th century.

Lemieux retired in 2005 because of atrial fibrillation. By that time, the Penguins had their next franchise savior, Sidney Crosby, in place. In 2007, Lemieux helped secure a new arena that would ensure the Penguins would remain in Pittsburgh for many decades. After that, he largely retired from public life.

Even if Lemieux mostly exists behind the scenes today, No. 66 will remain timeless in Pittsburgh.

Anyone else who wears No. 66 in Pittsburgh is bound to come a distant second to Lemieux, but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t some quality down the depth chart.

• Alan Faneca might be the greatest offensive lineman in Steelers history. A first-round pick in 1998, he was selected to seven Pro Bowls and was named All-Pro six times. A vital component of the Steelers’ Super Bowl XL victory, Faneca was often thought of as the NFL’s best guard throughout the 2000s.

• Steelers guard David DeCastro isn’t far behind Faneca for that designation. Drafted in the first round in 2012, DeCastro has become a staple at guard on some outstanding offensive lines during the 2010s. A five-time selection for the Pro Bowl, DeCastro has been All-Pro twice.

• A second-round pick in 1961, Myron Pottios, a native of Charleroi, had a knack for creating turnovers and was a three-time Pro Bowl selection at linebacker for the Steelers in the early 1960s.

• Bruce Van Dyke was one of the few players from the 1960s the Steelers hung on to after Chuck Noll became coach. Acquired in a trade with the Eagles in 1967, Van Dyke served as the team’s right guard for seven seasons. Selected as All-Pro in 1972 and ’73, Van Dyke also played in the 1974 Pro Bowl.

• Coming out of Central Catholic, Sal Sunseri walked onto Pitt and became a three-year starter at linebacker for some dominant defenses in the early 1980s. As a senior in 1981, Sunseri served as captain and was selected as a first-team All-American. A 10th-round draft pick by the Steelers in 1982, a knee injury in training camp brought his professional aspirations to a halt.

Check out the entire ’Burgh’s Best to Wear It series here.