On December 31, 1988, the Pittsburgh Civic Arena became the stage for one of the most jaw-dropping individual performances in NHL history. Mario Lemieux, already known as "Super Mario," put on a show that may never be duplicated, scoring five goals in five different ways in an 8-6 victory over the New Jersey Devils.
No other player has ever done it, and odds are no one ever will again. Lemieux’s magical night unfolded like this:
Even Strength: Just 4:17 into the game, Lemieux opened the scoring with help from Rob Brown.
Shorthanded: Less than four minutes later, he struck again while killing a penalty, punishing the Devils for Phil Bourque’s minor.
Power Play: Before the first period was through, Lemieux completed his hat trick on the man advantage, assisted by Paul Coffey and Gord Dineen.
Penalty Shot: In the second period, he was awarded a penalty shot at 11:14. Cool and composed, he buried it past Chris Terreri, who was promptly pulled in favor of Bob Sauve. Remarkably, it also counted as a shorthanded tally with Dan Quinn in the box.
Empty Net: After the Devils clawed back, Lemieux sealed history in the dying second of the third, scoring into an empty net with an assist from Jay Caufield.
Lemieux wasn’t done. He also added three assists, meaning he figured in all eight Penguins goals. His eight-point masterpiece overshadowed Kirk Muller’s five-point effort (two goals, three assists) for New Jersey.
About Mario Lemieux
Mario Lemieux played 915 regular season and 107 playoff games in the National Hockey League between 1984-85 and 2005-06, all with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The two-time Stanley Cup champion won the Art Ross Trophy six times, the Hart Trophy three times and the Conn Smythe Trophy twice.
His personal best season offensively came in 1988-89 when he totaled 199 points on 85 goals and 114 assists. The first overall pick by the Penguins in 1984 was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1997.
