Regarded as one of the greatest players in ice hockey history, Mario Lemieux (1965– )  spent his entire National Hockey League career with the Pittsburgh Penguins, thrilling fans with his exceptional skating, playmaking, and goal-scoring abilities and leading the team to Stanley Cup championships in 1991 and 1992.

Born in Montreal, the Canadian phenom known as “Le Magnifique” (The Magnificent One) was drafted by the Penguins in 1984. Despite facing serious health challenges that interrupted his playing, Lemieux repeatedly returned to the sport and performed at an elite level, capturing a multitude of NHL awards, including six scoring titles and three Most Valuable Player awards. In 1997 he retired and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, but he made a remarkable return to the Penguins’ ice in 2000 and two years later led the Canadian Olympic hockey team to a gold medal. In January 2006, he permanently retired from the game.

Off the ice, Lemieux played a crucial role in saving the Penguins from possibly relocating from Pittsburgh by becoming a team owner in 1999, and he is the only person to have his name on the Stanley Cup as both a player and owner—with a total of five wins.

His name also graces a foundation he launched after successfully battling Hodgkin’s disease in 1993. The Mario Lemieux Foundation has committed over $40 million to cancer research and patient care initiatives, operating several major programs and building children’s playrooms in medical facilities throughout the very region that has embraced the Penguins icon all these years.