NHL ALL-STAR WEEKEND

February 4, 2001

Mario Lemieux

MARIO LEMIEUX: I think that is normal. That is the way I felt in 1985 in my first All-Star Game in Calgary. Just something you have to go through. And we just told him to, before the game, to relax and enjoy it and seize the moment. We wanted to for him to score a goal, remember this All-Star Game, and it turned out pretty good.

MARIO LEMIEUX: It was great to have the opportunity to have a break-away in the All-Star Game, and especially to score was a lot of fun. To get that feeling once again is probably the reason why I came back and wanted to be a part of it again.

MARIO LEMIEUX: Not really. I had many chances in the first period, probably three or four great chances to score, and just didn't go in. Hasek played pretty well, you know. You have to be lucky a little bit in the All-Star Game to get three or four, five or six points. So today was not the day, but it was still a lot of fun to play with Simon Gagne. He is a great kid. He is going to be a great star in this League for many years to come. Of course to play with Brett, you know, was a great day for all of us.

MARIO LEMIEUX: Well, that is not going to happen during the regular season. You have 42 of the best hockey players in the world here, and they are all very talented with the puck. They can all make great plays, and that is why I feel sorry for the goalies in the All-Star games. But that won't happen during the regular season. Just a matter of having great hockey players on the ice at the same time making great plays.

MARIO LEMIEUX: No, it has been great. Obviously, the first game was something that I will remember for a long time, to be able to come back to the game, to score in -- to get a point on the first shift and get the crowd excited, and it was a great night. But as I said before, I am not 100%, and I feel the next few weeks hopefully I can get there down the stretch, and especially in the Playoffs. So I still have a ways to go.

MARIO LEMIEUX: Yeah, it is special, especially after three and a half years and having missed the game quite a bit during those three and a half years. So to be back at the All-Star Game and to be a part of it once again with some of the young, great players in this League and some of the old-timers like Ray Bourque and Brett Hull is always a lot of fun. It is a very hectic couple of days, but I am glad that I had another chance to be a part of it.

MARIO LEMIEUX: Yeah, it was great the last two days, especially yesterday at the Skills competition he was on the bench and he was in the dressing room afterwards, and once again this morning he was there. So hopefully he is going to have some great memories for the rest of his life, and he was certainly a big reason for me coming back. I felt that being 35 I still have some good hockey left, and to have my kids be a part of it was very important to me.

MARIO LEMIEUX: Well, I will do whatever it takes to make it work from both sides, obviously. I think we have to take a step back and try to do the best thing for the game. And players are always going to make a lot of money, but there's got to be a limit to it. Give the owners an opportunity at least to make money. For somebody to go out and pay 125 or 150 million for a franchise and to lose money every year is not very good business. And I can sense that some of the owners are getting tired of it. I think we just have to take a step back and find a way to make it work for both sides, and I am sure we will be able to do that. We got some great people from both sides, Bob Goodenow and Mr. Bettman will be able to make a deal.

MARIO LEMIEUX: Craig Patrick was here.

MARIO LEMIEUX: He has always been a great player. He has always been in great shape as far as I can remember, he works hard in the summertime and he is still at 40 years old, he is one of the best defensemen in the National Hockey League, and that is incredible. But Ray has done it throughout his career for 20 years, and he has played at a very high level, and he is still doing it at 40 years old, so I am not surprised because of the fact that he has worked hard all his life to continue playing in his latter years. And as I said, he is still one of the best.

MARIO LEMIEUX: I'd like to see a little more, make it more exciting for the fans, but you know, one thing I realize coming back, the players are so much bigger now and so much faster and they are all able to skate and close the gap and pretty much every team has got good defensive systems. There is not much room out there at times and so you know, you have to take a look at the game and try to always improve it year after year and hopefully the league League can do that.

MARIO LEMIEUX: It means a lot. It has been great the past month or so, especially in Pittsburgh, but as you mentioned, to go on the road and to get that reception everywhere we go is very special, to fill the buildings like we have been doing is great for the game obviously. It is great for all of us who play the game and it is great for the fans to have some interest back in the game and I will try to do my share to take it to the next level.

MARIO LEMIEUX: When he scored the goal we were looking for the puck, somebody -- the official thought we picked up the puck but it was stuck behind the camera and we had to wait a couple of shifts. That is when I told the lineman to go check behind the camera and there the puck was laying there. We got it after all, I guess.

MARIO LEMIEUX: Well I had plenty of chances obviously. I don't know if it was that important, but it was important that you know, we would go out there and try to do the best we can, try to put a show on for the fans and I think we did pretty well. As far as Simon, you know, I know exactly how he felt. Obviously I have been through it my first couple of years in the NHL and especially when you are 18, 20 years old like he, he is 20 years old, to be in the same room with Ray Bourque, all these great players that he watched when he was a little boy is special. You know, these games are games that you remember for the rest of your life.

MARIO LEMIEUX: Yes.

MARIO LEMIEUX: Canada.

MARIO LEMIEUX: No, I think there's a lot of great players in this League. It is just a matter of renewing the you know, a little bit of interest back in the game and I am glad to be a part of it. There is a lot of great players in this League, Jagr and Simon coming up and Kariya and you saw 40 or so on the ice today. So I just want to be a part of it, a small part of it.

MARIO LEMIEUX: Not yet, no. Playing in Montreal is always very special for me. I grew up in Montreal, was a big fan of the Montreal Canadiens, was a big fan of Gil LaFleur and it is always special to go back, a lot of friends come to the game. A lot of family members, and I am looking forward to that night once again.

MARIO LEMIEUX: No, it is not going to affect the ability to play the game. I have obviously a lot of experience at it. I understand a lot more what is at stake and that I have to give a lot of my time to the media and especially to the fans who want to know a lot more about the athletes now since the early '90s. At this stage of my live and my career I feel comfortable doing it and I will try to do whatever I can to improve the sport and make it more exciting for everybody.