Mario

by Lawrence Martin, Katherine Martin

In an NHL career that spans less than ten years, Mario Lemieux has just about done it all. His outstanding athletic achievements, his inspirational battles against not one but two career-threatening health traumas and his intense rivalry with Wayne Gretzky are all revealed in this engrossing biography which balances the myth and the man. Mario is the behind-the-scenes story of a player Hockey Poll 1994 voted the greatest in the league, a solitary genius the likes of which are rarely encounter.

Genres: Hockey, Sports, Biography

275 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Librarian's note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. This is Lawrence^Martin.

Reviews

[Claire]

I read this book years and years ago because I was blown away by the talent this man has. I learned so much about him and truely am awed by his talent! Great read for any hockey fan!

[Knowingest Drawbridges]

Clunky ass writing and only details up until 1991. Still had a good time learning about Le Magnifique.

[Matt]

This biography of Lemieux was published in 1993, a few months after his cancer treatment ended. As such it does miss a lot of key things that happened in Lemieux's life and career, but that can't be held against Martin here. What it does do is take a more critical look at Lemieux, and is not afraid to call him out for being aloof, standoffish with the media, and very much his own person who did not conform to mainstream expectations of a hockey player, let alone a star one. Though Martin did not speak to Lemieux or his family for the book, the details included have stood up and it is kind of nice to have a more balanced look at a start athlete, one that is not fawning over him (though it's very clear throughout that Lemieux is obviously one of the best players ever). It is also good in that it does give ample coverage to his youth and early years, things that may be given less attention in a later biography that must incorporate a lot more events, so is overall a solid book to go through.