It all started on phone call from me to my parents at home. We were talking about how we hadn't been to see the Pens play for a while. It was decided that we would all go see a game in December while I was on Christmas Break from school. The group ended up being my best friend Ryan Nutter, my fiance Devon, my parents, and my sister. As December got closer Mario Lemieux announced that he would come out of retirement to play for the Penguins again. He targeted December 27, 2000 as his date to return. The game that we had tickets for was the Pens against the Toronto Maple Leafs on December 27th! We were going to be there to see him play his first game back. We were all excited and couldn't wait for the game.
Jumping ahead to the car ride to Pittsburgh, we were all excited about the game that evening. Ryan and Devon aren't real big hockey fans, but even they were pumped about seeing this game. When we got to the arena the place was jumping with energy. When Lemieux retired his number was also retired and hung in the rafters of the arena. When we got there the number 66 was still hanging from the ceiling. I said to my dad, "I bet that they are going to bring the number down before the game." Sure enough they did with Mario's son, Austin, looking on. The arena was alive with energy and the crowd was pumped before the game had even started.
Lemiuex came out for the pregame skate and flash bulbs went off all around the rink. He skated with ease and seemed like he had never left the ice for 3 and a half years. Jaromir Jagr, Lemieux's teammate, seemed happy to have his mentor back on the ice with him. It was an indescribeable feeling to see him touch the ice again for the first time and knowing that you were seeing a part of sports history.
Pre-Game Skate
As the game was about to begin they lowered Lemiuex's number from the ceiling and announced the starting lineups. The starting lineup was Jan Hrdina, Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, Darius Kasparitus, and Ian Moran. Lemieux took the opening faceoff as the crowd roared to life. The energy in the arena carried throughout the whole game and on that first shift Lemieux assisted on a goal by Jagr.
That was just the beginning. The game was dominated by the Pens. The game ended up being a 5 - 0 shutout, Garth Snow's first of the year. Lemieux and Jagr would connect a few more times during the game to keep things exciting and energized. As a team they played well and were dedicated to making Lemieux's return a successful and memorable event. Lemieux took faceoffs, made breakaways, and just amazed everyone in attendance that night.
The final score was 5 - 0 as the Penguins rolled on the momentum to a shutout victory. Of course Mario was one of the game's top three starts of the night. There is nothing like hearing the PA announcer at Mellon Arena say "Mario Lemiuuuuuuueeeeeexxxxxx!" After the game Lemieux was definitely mobbed by the media asking about how he felt after his return and other questions.
After the game we stayed in a hotel outside of downtown Pittsburgh and watched the game highlights on TV and were like, "Hey, we were actually there and saw this all happen." It was an awesome feeling that comes back to me every time that I think about that night. It was even better getting to share it with the people who are closest to me.