Quotes by Mario Lemieux

• I've gone through back surgery a couple times, and of course, my radiation treatments for six weeks got me to the point where I was not able to play at the level that I was accustomed to.
• A month before the season I stop putting ketchup on my french fries.
• All I can say to the young players is, enjoy every moment of it. Just enjoy every moment of it. Your career goes by very quickly.
• As I've said, in 2007, we're free to go and we'll just have to do what's best for the business.
• Depending on how we start the season, I can play center or wing... It doesn't matter to me.
• Everybody I talked to - from my friends to my family and some of the players - really gave me a lot of support from the start. And that certainly made me feel good about trying to come back and be one of the best again.
• He's only 4 years old, so I don't think he realized, you know, that I played so many years. Of course, we watch tapes here from the Stanley Cup years, but I don't think he realized how many years I played.
• I can no longer play at a level I was accustomed to in the past.
• I didn't like the way the game was being played.
• I didn't speak English until I came to Pittsburgh.
• I think people in Montreal smoke a lot, and I used to smoke when I was 17-18, and just picked it up when I was playing juniors. But I think I stopped when I was 22, which was a big decision in my life.
• I'm only 35, and I felt that the time was right to try to come back and have a chance for him to see me play.
• I don't try to match wine with food, I just drink what I like. And I think a lot of people are going towards that now, which never used to be in the past.
• It's up to the community now to decide if they want to keep this team.
• My body's feeling it a little bit. But one good thing, my back is in good shape, and that's my main concern. I know that my legs are going to take awhile to get back to where I was a few years ago, but as long as my back is solid, I feel that I can play many years.
• Of course, my family has been a big reason for me to come back, especially my son who loves the game of hockey - he was a big reason for me coming back.
• Oh, I did stop smoking a long time ago.
• Once I'm at the arena with the guys in the dressing room, and in the bus, and on the plane, I'm a player. And I sit in the back with the players and I play cards and try to take their money.
• Since the beginning, I always loved the game. When you grow up in Montreal, one day you want to be a professional hockey player. When I was six or seven, I knew that was what I wanted.
• The first few games that we played against some of the teams, the young guys, you know, want a stick sign or photo sign, and I think that they respect what I have achieved throughout my career.
• We feel that, with Sidney, we have a great opportunity over the next few years to put a great team on the ice. We're prepared to lose some money along the way. Eventually we're going to need some help.
• Well, I think just a desire to come back and be a part of the game again.
• When I'm able to see the ice ahead of time when I get the puck, I'm able to make some pretty good plays.
• When someone screams at me to hurry up, I slow down.
• I think the game has opened up, and that's why I decided to come back and try to be a part of it.
• I think that with a lot of hard work and dedication, I feel that I could be the best in the world. I'm still only 35 years old... I have a fresh start physically and mentally, and I feel that I can achieve my goal to be the best again.