Remembering Mario Lemieux's Inspiring Comeback From Hodgkin's Lymphoma
Pittsburgh Penguins legend Mario Lemieux is considered one of the greatest hockey players ever to take the ice despite the fact he dealt with so many health problems throughout his historic career.
In addition to crippling back pain, he was also diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma in January of 1993. This was terrible news for the Penguins star and he instantly began radiation treatment. Then the miraculous happened two months later when Lemieux returned to the ice in Philadelphia to take on the Flyers.
The fans in attendance provided hockey fans with a magical moment by putting the rivalry aside and saluting the returning Lemieux.
This is easily one of the most chill-inducing moments in NHL history. The insane thing is that he didn't just return; he helped lead the Penguins to a first-place finish right after completing two months of radiation treatment. It's no wonder this man is a legend.
When Mario Lemieux was diagnosed with cancer in 1993, it stunned the hockey community. Not only did he overcome this adversity in his life, he and his wife Nathalie turned it into an opportunity to do good. pic.twitter.com/OpWg8cZOkR
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) November 16, 2018
More radiation treatment ended up keeping Lemieux out for the entire 1994-95 season, so naturally he returned the following year and led the NHL in scoring. The Penguins great ultimately hung up his skates in 2006 as one of the greatest of all time. He was out there dominating the NHL while recovering from radiation treatments and his return in 1993 served as an inspiration to many around the hockey world.