About This Website
The purpose of the Mario Lemieux Complete Card Library is driven by a passion to document and organize the full history of #66’s trading cards. Created by collectors, this website is designed for fans and fellow collectors alike.
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The purpose of the Mario Lemieux Complete Card Library is driven by a passion to document and organize the full history of #66’s trading cards. Created by collectors, this website is designed for fans and fellow collectors alike.
Long before the modern era of goaltending and hockey was televised in high definition, my Uncle Johnny was a pioneer at the McKees Rocks Rink in Pittsburgh, PA. Guarding the net at the McKees Rocks Ice Rink for the Bellevue Raiders in the 1940s, Johnny was a goaltender who instinctively played a "butterfly" style by dropping to his knees to seal the ice. This was decades before leg pads and equipment were engineered for such movement and playing style. His coach, a staunch believer in the era's stand-up style, would routinely bark at him to stay on his skates. Johnny joked that his coach wasn't a goaltender by experience and constantly told Johnny to get up, even as he was making the save. “The coach wasn’t a netminder” Johnny would joke with a smile. "I'd wait until the shooter got in close and tried to make a move around me, then I would drop down to take away the lower part of the net." Johnny would recount to our family. “My coach would be yelling ‘Johnny get up!’ Well, I made the save, what more did he want?”
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Uncle Johnny: Bellevue Raiders Goaltender & his Butterfly Goaltending Style of play
After serving in the Navy during the Korean War and then earning his college degree, Johnny never lost his passion for ice hockey. He frequented the Pittsburgh Hornets minor league ice hockey games and was a season ticket holder for the Penguins inaugural 1967-68 season. In the 1970's, Johnny moved to Detroit for new employment and had season tickets to the Red Wings for about 10 years. Johnny's employer transferred him to Los Angeles for a promotion in 1981, so he of course had season tickets to the Los Angeles Kings soon after. Johnny was in attendance at the Great Western Forum for the "Miracle on Manchester", the biggest single-game comeback in Stanley Cup playoffs history. The Kings started the third period down 5–0 vs the Gretzky lead Oilers dynasty but went on to win that playoff game in overtime. The Kings would go on to win the playoff series. Once the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim joined the National Hockey League in 1993, he was a season ticket holder for both teams for a few years. As the millennium passed, Johnny would keep his Ducks ticket plan and attend Kings home games infrequently as many times both teams would have home games on the same night. During all that time my Uncle Johnny would always be generous with NHL souvenirs and storytelling about his favorite sport. He would talk to me all about goaltender John Gibson, two years before Gibson's NHL debut with the Ducks. Whether it was the Kings, the Ducks, or his beloved Penguins, Johnny was always a wonderful storyteller.
My own hockey journey began at age three. Back then, purchasing a Penguins ticket was cheaper than getting a babysitter. My earliest recollection of an NHL game is from age five watching the Pittsburgh Penguins with Randy Carlyle and Rick Kehoe. I was more interested in cheering for any physical checks being thrown by our home team instead of the goal scoring. We saw the Penguins loose that day, and typical for sporting events my father made our family leave early to beat the traffic out of downtown. As we were leaving our seats, a bench clearing brawl ensued and we raced back into the arena to see the melee occurring on the ice. Despite my poor vision making it hard to tell the opponent, Flyers or Red Wings, I fell in love with the game even when our home town team was struggling. The experience was so exciting that I continued to enjoy going to Penguins games even when the team’s record was atrocious.
At Christmas time my Uncle Johnny would always come to visit, and I can remember him mentioning during that cold December the Penguins had a good chance to draft Mario Lemieux. Johnny mentioned that Mario Lemieux was supposed to be the next Gretzky. After the Penguins Drafted Mario first overall, I vividly remember my dad discussing with his brother, Johnny, about the pressure of such a Gretzky comparison.
In 1984, the Pittsburgh Penguins drafted Mario Lemieux as their savior, unaware he would have to fill that role multiple times. Mario Lemieux was truly one of a kind. His skill and creativity made him unforgettable to watch in his prime, controlling the puck as though it were tied to his stick by a string.
I began collecting cards around the late 1980’s, always eager to pull a Mario Lemieux from a pack bought at the neighborhood convenience store. Years later, after my children were born, I found myself going through old card collection my mother had saved from my childhood. As I sorted through the different sports, sets, teams, and players, I realized that Mario Lemieux’s cards had remained my most treasured and far beyond those of other sports stars, ballyhooed hyped prospects, and momentary fleeting sports sensations. (Kevin Maas and his 10 HR’s in 72 AB’s)
What began as a simple effort to organize my Mario Lemieux collection soon evolved into a much larger mission: a journey to identify every Mario Lemieux card from each manufacturer’s set. That journey started two decades ago, shortly after my eldest child was born, and I had no idea how incredibly massive or comprehensive this project would become. Even now, the ever-expanding list of cards continues to surprise me, reaching far beyond anything I once imagined. I hope you enjoy exploring this site as much as I’ve enjoyed building it. I look forward to adding new features and details for fellow collectors to enjoy.
I never had the opportunity to lace up my skates and play ice hockey until I left for college, but I grew up playing every other version of the game I could find. From street and dek hockey to intense games of bubble hockey or floor (knee) hockey I would play them all. That early passion turned into over 30 years of playing in local men’s leagues, but my greatest joy has been found on the bench. Coaching my children has been a true highlight, especially watching my eldest son ‘stand on his head' some nights, and eventually shining as a two-time high school varsity league all-star in net.