Mario Lemieux

“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.”

“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.”

“If I could play this game at a decent level, I'd come back and play.”

“I think the game has opened up, and that's why I decided to come back and try to be a part of it.”

“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.”

“We, as a league, must do a better job of protecting the integrity of the game and the safety of our players.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“For as long as I can remember I wanted to be a professional hockey player.”

“Well, I think just a desire to come back and be a part of the game again.”

“It's up to the community now to decide if they want to keep this team.”

“I'm sorry I didn't feel any better or play any better, but that's what happens at the end of careers.”

“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.”

“When someone screams at me to hurry up, I slow down.”

“A month before the season, I don't order fries with my club sandwich.”

“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.”

“A month before the season I stop putting ketchup on my french fries.”

“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.”

“My son, he is the reason I got involved. It's been a joy to be around him and teach him the stuff that I know, and to the other kids as well. When he started playing I wanted to be involved in his hockey career. It's a lot of fun for both of us.”