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Mario Lemieux's 1992-93 was the greatest single season a modern pro athlete ever had.
- Thread starter PastorOfMuppets
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ConradCervantes
Banned
Martinez's 1999 season was incredible, but his 2000 campaign was unreal. Easily the better of the two. Only reason he didn't top 20 wins again was because his offense was held scoreless in quite a few of his starts. The one-hitter against Tampa is the best pitching performance I have ever watched.
Dion Blaster
Member
I feel like you could pick one of Messi's last 3 seasons. Better than any recent NBA or NFL individual seasons I've seen.
Remember the Clemens/Pedro pitching duel from that season? Too bad the Yanks lost.
PastorOfMuppets
Banned
Did Tiger Woods contract cancer in 2000 and beat it and then go on to have the year he did?
Did Jordan get cancer in the middle of his 87-88 season? Then no he couldn't.
Babe Ruth didn't get cancer in 1920 though did he? Although I will say that's pretty amazing and they only played 142 games and still hit 60.
Messi never got cancer in the middle of any of his seasons.
I think there is a very strong case for Bobby Orr being better than Lemieux just because he was a much better all around player. He could score, pass, hit, fight and shut down the opposing team's best offensive threat. That's an argument I generally avoid because in an Orr vs Lemieux debate, I really don't think there's a wrong answer because they are so close.
But in terms of single seasons, Lemieux's beating cancer and then coming back IN THE MIDDLE of the season puts his season as the best of all time.
See, you guys can go back to Chamberlain, Cy Young, Donald Bradman if you want. The problem is that Lemieux has this massive trump card - he literally beat cancer...and then scored more points 655 other NHL players while playing 30% less games.
Unless you know who he is, you won't know how to pronounce his name. That's why.
So basically to have an argument against you, an athlete will have to have cancer in the middle of a season? We don't even have to continue the thread if this is going to be a response every single time.
So basically to have an argument against you, an athlete will have to have cancer in the middle of a season? We don't even have to continue the thread if this is going to be a response every single time.
equippedwithtowel
Member
I'm not arguing with you. Just pointing out some other great feats in sports history.
Pretty much.
Max Armstrong
Member
I think Gretzky's 84-85 is the best.
Dude scored 208 points in 80 games and 47 more in the playoffs in 18 games.
255 points, 90 goals, 164 assists, 98 games. 2,6 pts per game. What the fuck.
edit: oh ok, he didn't get cancer, my bad, fuck him.
Dude scored 208 points in 80 games and 47 more in the playoffs in 18 games.
255 points, 90 goals, 164 assists, 98 games. 2,6 pts per game. What the fuck.
edit: oh ok, he didn't get cancer, my bad, fuck him.
Syph Medwes
Member
Awesome thread. Lemieux is and always will be a legend.
PastorOfMuppets
Banned
Yes. That's the crux of my argument. Beating cancer in the middle of a season AND THEN having one of the all time great seasons (cancer or not) is the main reason why I believe that the Lemieux 1992-93 season is so amazing.
Anyone who has ever seen what chemotherapy does to a person knows what I'm talking about when I say how draining it can be. You can lose your appetite and lose a ton of weight, you lose all your energy. It looks like you are gradually wasting away. So for a person to go through three months of chemotherapy and then to come back (the day after his last treatment to boot) and play a physically intensive sport at such an elite level that he was recognized as the best player for that year it's quite literally unbelievable. See, a lot of people are throwing out names of athletes who were perfectly healthy during their great seasons. Even in Adrian Peterson's case, it was after a rehab period of several months (still amazing).
Lemieux's recovery time period from the diagnosis of his cancer to his last radiation treatment: ONE DAY.
And I can't stress this point enough - he still won the scoring title and led his team to 17 straight victories.
The Penguins Record from the day they diagnosed his cancer to the day of his last treatment was 10-9-2 (2 ties). Their record after he got back: 17-2.
T.M. MacReady
NO ONE DENIES MEMBER
DonasaurusRex
Online Ho Champ
yeah he was super but he wasnt alone in his era especially in the 80's and 90's there were a lot of all stars on teams. If he was out now i would agree but in his day there were like 5 elite teams, and a gang of really good teams. So...that would be why he isnt so alone at the top, the league was stacked.
Colorado, Detroit, NJ, Dallas alone had a shit ton of all stars, they were 3 line deep teams. Detroit alone had an all star russian line, and on top of that Yzerman *best captain ever* and crap tons more. Colorado was the same way with Foresberg and Sackic and a crap ton of all stars, NJ didnt give two shits about how much skill you had they beat your face and out hustled you. Super Mario was a super star and champion during an era of elite deep teams.
NJ , DET, DAL, and COL won like 10 straight championships, and before he won his 2, edmonton and the islanders dominated the 80s i think they won..8 of them overall.
He's great but he's not going to pull fans from their teams like Jordan could , hockey is still a sport where the team gets the glory more so than the player.
Colorado, Detroit, NJ, Dallas alone had a shit ton of all stars, they were 3 line deep teams. Detroit alone had an all star russian line, and on top of that Yzerman *best captain ever* and crap tons more. Colorado was the same way with Foresberg and Sackic and a crap ton of all stars, NJ didnt give two shits about how much skill you had they beat your face and out hustled you. Super Mario was a super star and champion during an era of elite deep teams.
NJ , DET, DAL, and COL won like 10 straight championships, and before he won his 2, edmonton and the islanders dominated the 80s i think they won..8 of them overall.
He's great but he's not going to pull fans from their teams like Jordan could , hockey is still a sport where the team gets the glory more so than the player.
2000 was definitely the more impressive year. #1 all-time single season WHIP at .737, in the American League. Next best season among those facing designated hitters is Justin Verlander in 50th place with .920. Pedro was head and shoulders above any pitchers of his era.
Well, then we're pretty much done here. Guy is amazing and superhuman for what he did, but there is no other athlete out there in that situation, so nothing can be said.
You should have just made this a Lemieux appreciation thread.
80s and early 90s were truly great era for Hockey. Why did hockey's popularity decline in US anyway? Hockey even had it's Hollywood boom, we had movies from Slap Shot to Mighty Ducks.
Lockouts killed the momentum.
Radiation therapy is not chemotherapy.
He missed games. Players miss games due to injury all the time. The reason doesn't invalidate everything else.
Gretzky is the best hockey player of all time, but it you want to use the injury excuse then I still wouldn't put Lemieux ahead of Bobby Orr. Who knows what Bobby could have accomplished statistically if he had a healthier and longer career.
He missed games. Players miss games due to injury all the time. The reason doesn't invalidate everything else.
Gretzky is the best hockey player of all time, but it you want to use the injury excuse then I still wouldn't put Lemieux ahead of Bobby Orr. Who knows what Bobby could have accomplished statistically if he had a healthier and longer career.
He was not head and shoulders above Randy Johnson. You can argue that from 1996-2005 Pedro was the better pitcher but he did not wipe the floor with RJ.
DonasaurusRex
Online Ho Champ
lockouts , killed the momentum dead and killed alot of rivalries sucks .
Great video: http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=658116
PastorOfMuppets
Banned
That's exactly what it is. It's Lemieux appreciation thread.
Why? Because that one season is so criminally ignored - even amongst hockey fans. There are hockey fans out there who put Gretzky's four 200 point years as the best seasons ever without even giving this one an honourable mention. ESPN was a couple of steps from having Erin Andrews have sex with Adrian Peterson for his amazing season but the Mario Lemieux season hasn't even gotten a 30 for 30. Ridiculous.
It's like if I saved the universe from The Big Crunch, cured cancer, gave human beings the formula for immortality and invented faster than light travel didn't end up getting nominated for the World's Greatest Human Being Ever prize.
See, some things are so great that the only reasonable thing to do is admire them in one giant circlejerk. Mario Lemieux's 1992-93 season is one of those things.
Big Baybee
Member
Erin Andrews didn't work for ESPN during this past NFL season, your argument is invalid.
Sniper McBlaze
Member
Legend in every way possible. Pure talent fighting a bad back and cancer and still kicked the shit out of hockey. My hero.
PastorOfMuppets
Banned
That maybe correct but if it's a mistake it's due to my ignorance of the difference in meaning between the two words. Lemieux did indeed go through chemotherapy.
I think cancer is quite a bit different from a pulled groin or even a serious injury like a torn ACL. I actually think you're diminishing his accomplishments by grouping pass off cancer and chemo as regular sports injuries and treatments. I'm not saying that Jordan or Gretzky's best seasons were shit, they were AMAZING.
I'm just saying that Lemieux's was that much better.
I'm sorry, but while it's an amazing story, it's not a trump card if you want to compare it to other great seasons quantitatively. Not everyone reacts to chemo the same way, and it's obvious that Lemieux's body reacted differently than most.
You would do much better if you didn't go into this thread trying to compare his season against others by simply replying, "CANCER, BRUH," to those who disagree with you. That said, it's a remarkable season.
BigJonsson
Member
But can he jump?
Victory Red
Member
Only one person in this thread got it right
Let me introduce you to Eldrick Woods' 2000 season
He led the tour in 25 out of 37 statistical categories. Including:
Ball striking
Birdie average
Money leader
Eagles
Greens in Reg.
Lowest round
Par 3 performance
Par 4 performance
Par 5 performance
Scoring average
Top 10s
Total Driving
9 wins
3 Majors (Then won the next one in 2001 for 4 in a row.)
Let me introduce you to Eldrick Woods' 2000 season
He led the tour in 25 out of 37 statistical categories. Including:
Ball striking
Birdie average
Money leader
Eagles
Greens in Reg.
Lowest round
Par 3 performance
Par 4 performance
Par 5 performance
Scoring average
Top 10s
Total Driving
9 wins
3 Majors (Then won the next one in 2001 for 4 in a row.)
Zod the Bear
Member
Silexx wins the thread.
Max Armstrong
Member
Fuck I miss Tiger when he was a beast 
BigJonsson
Member
Someone's extra bitter!
I'm not super heavy into Hockey anymore, but I was pretty invested as a kid (thanks to The Mighty Ducks! Lol) when I still lived in Pittsburgh and could actually attend/watch games regularly. Lemieux was among my favorite sports heroes growing up, and the man was definitely a beast and highly inspirational. He's a damn good owner to boot, and it's too bad he wasn't given the chance to purchase the Pirates.
Tragicomedy
Member
Hurt for a third of the season. Got hot the rest of the way. Rocked a Kentucky Waterfall (aka mullet) haircut for a bit.
Greatest modern pro athlete ever.
Aaaaaand we're done here...
turnbuckle
Member
Both seasons were incredible, but his 1999 season is the best I've ever seen of any pitcher in my lifetime. I don't pay attention to W/L totals when thinking that way either.
Also - I agree with the OP. Lemieux did stuff I didn't think was possible even if his per/game and totals don't match up with Gretzky's. It's a shame he couldn't stay healthy. Same for Pedro in the last part of his career.
Yea it isn't like he was not leading the scoring race before he took time off to treat the cancer. He was playing some of the best hockey ever all season long.
This right here. No one is ever going to touch those numbers.
Well maybe Tiger comes close on that last one.
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