Mario Lemieux was ranked the greatest player in major junior hockey history as the Canadian Hockey League unveiled its all-time Top 50 list Thursday.
The former Laval Voisins star finished ahead of another Pittsburgh Penguins great in Sidney Crosby (Rimouski Océanic), followed by Wayne Gretzky (Peterborough Petes/Soo Greyhounds), Connor McDavid (Erie Otters) and Mike Bossy (Laval National).
The CHL said the rankings were determined through a combination of media and fan voting as part of the league’s 50th anniversary celebrations.
“I'm honoured to be chosen among this group of great players. My time at Laval and in the QMJHL played a big role in preparing me for an NHL career,” Lemieux said in a statement. “We all appreciate what the CHL has meant to Canadian hockey and the development of our players through the years.”
Lemieux set CHL single-season records with 133 goals and 282 points in 1983-84 while recording a 61-game point streak with Laval.
The Montreal native helped Laval win the 1984 QMJHL championship and recorded 52 points in 14 playoff games that season.
“Mario Lemieux’s dominance with the Laval Voisins remains one of the defining achievements in CHL history,” said CHL president Dan MacKenzie.
Lemieux later won two Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins and retired with 1,723 points in 915 NHL regular-season games.
Lemieux was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1997 after retiring and having the mandatory three-year waiting period waived. He returned to the NHL in 2000, played five more seasons with the Penguins and captained Canada to Olympic gold in 2002.
