For Penguins superstar Mario Lemieux, the 1992-93 season represented the pits and the pinnacle of his career all wrapped into one. His balky back seemingly a thing of the past, the 27-year-old center bolted from the starting blocks at a scorching pace.
After piling up 101 points in just 38 games, Lemieux decided to have a doctor check a small lump on his neck early in the New Year. Mario was stunned to learn that he’d contracted Hodgkin’s disease, a form of cancer that attacks the lymph nodes.
“Just the word cancer scares you a lot,” the Pens’ captain recalled.