NHL power rankings: Top 3 greatest centers of all-time

LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 27: (L-R) Former NHL players Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux speak onstage during the NHL 100 Media Availability as part of the 2017 NHL All-Star Weekend at the JW Marriott on January 27, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Chase Agnello-Dean/NHLI via Getty Images) /

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Pittsburgh Penguins, Mario Lemieux #66 (Photo By Dave Sandford/Getty Images/NHLI) /

2. Mario Lemieux

Mario Lemieux, aka Super Mario, is not only one of the best centers of all time, but one of the best players of all time. In fact, some argue that he is the best to ever play the game. While I personally do not agree with that notion, it certainly would have been interesting to see just how close him and Wayne Gretzky would have come in scoring records had Lemieux not missed so much time throughout his career.

The Pittsburgh Penguin legend posted an unfathomable 1723 points in just 915 regular season games, giving him a points per game average of 1.883 which is good for second all time, behind Gretzky’s 1.921. In an additional 107 playoff games, he put up 172 points. Though he won one less Stanley Cup than Crosby, he was also able to win back to back championships, with his coming in 1991 and 1992.

Lemieux was successful during his international career as well, and was part of the gold medal winning Canadian team at the 2002 Winter Olympics. He had the honour of wearing the “C” for Canada at those Olympics, and his six points in 5 games played a big part in securing gold.

As for personal accolades, Lemieux boasts plenty. The now Pittsburgh Penguins owner won six Art Ross Trophies, four Lester B. Pearson Trophies, three Hart Trophies, a Calder Trophy, and two Conn Smythe’s. It will be interesting to see how Crosby stacks up with Lemieux by the time his career is all said and done, but for now Lemieux will remain higher on the list.

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