Editing Mario Lemieux (section)

==Early years==
Lemieux was born in [[Montréal]] to Pierrette, a stay-at-home mom, and Jean-Guy Lemieux, an engineer. He and his older brothers [[Alain Lemieux|Alain]] and Richard grew up in a working class family in the [[Ville-Émard]] district. He began playing hockey at age three in his basement; before using real equipment, he and his brothers used wooden kitchen spoons as hockey sticks and bottle caps as pucks.<ref name="OntheIce">{{cite book|last=Christopher|first=Matt|title=On the Ice With ... Mario Lemieux|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5D6CaqcQhkgC|access-date=September 21, 2007|publisher=[[Little, Brown and Company]]|isbn=0-316-13799-5|year=2002}}</ref> His father created a rink on the front lawn so that the boys could practice as much as possible,<ref name="ask men">{{cite web|url=http://ca.askmen.com/men/sports/34c_mario_lemieux.html|title=Mario Lemieux|publisher=Ask Men|access-date=September 19, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071015161828/http://ca.askmen.com/men/sports/34c_mario_lemieux.html|archive-date=October 15, 2007}}</ref> and according to family legend, the family sometimes packed snow onto the living room carpet so the brothers could practice indoors when it was dark.<ref name="macleans">{{cite journal|last=Deacon|first=James|url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/mario-lemieux-profile|title=Lemieux, Mario (profile)|journal=The Canadian Encyclopedia|publisher=[[Maclean's Magazine]]|date=April 8, 1996|access-date=March 13, 2021|archive-date=March 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210301202408/https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/mario-lemieux-profile|url-status=live}}</ref>

The young Lemieux was a teammate to future NHLers [[Marc Bergevin]] and [[J. J. Daigneault]] on the same [[minor ice hockey]] team from Ville-Émard.<ref>{{cite web|last=Brandswell|first=Brenda|title=One town, one team, three NHLers|url=https://montrealgazette.com/sports/Canadiens/hockey/road-to-nhl-went-through-ville-%C3%A9mard|work=[[The Gazette (Montreal)|The Gazette]]|access-date=March 13, 2021|archive-date=October 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211022085056/https://montrealgazette.com/sports/canadiens/hockey/road-to-nhl-went-through-ville-%C3%A9mard|url-status=live}}</ref> Lemieux and Daigneault played together with RJ Donnelly and Gail Swann in the 1977 [[Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament]]. Cornish and Swann also competed in the 1978 tournament.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.publicationsports.com/ressources/files/439/Joueurs_Pro.pdf|title=Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA|year=2018|website=Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament|access-date=January 13, 2019|archive-date=March 6, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306085544/https://www.publicationsports.com/ressources/files/439/Joueurs_Pro.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:Mario Lemieux 1984.jpg|thumb|right|Lemieux playing for the Laval Voisins of the QMJHL in 1984]]
Lemieux started his career with the [[Laval Voisins]] of the [[Quebec Major Junior Hockey League]] (QMJHL). When he was drafted at age 15, he declared that he would break league records.<ref name="macleans"/> He made the request to coach [[Jean Bégin]] to play on a forward line with Jacques Goyette during the [[1983–84 QMJHL season]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/penguins/2016/10/18/Penguins-owner-Mario-Lemieux-first-steady-linemate-Jacques-Goyette-took-path-away-from-the-ice/stories/201610180015|title=An officer and 'Le Magnifique': Lemieux's first steady linemate followed path far away from the ice|last=Mackey|first=Jason|date=October 18, 2016|work=[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]]|access-date=January 12, 2020|archive-date=December 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191222173908/https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/penguins/2016/10/18/Penguins-owner-Mario-Lemieux-first-steady-linemate-Jacques-Goyette-took-path-away-from-the-ice/stories/201610180015|url-status=live}}</ref> The combination was successful, as Lemieux broke the league record for points in a season with 282 (133 goals, 149 assists) in 70 games.<ref name="hhof inductee">{{cite web|url=http://www.legendsofhockey.net/html/ind97ees.htm |title=1997 Hockey Hall of Fame Inductees |publisher=Legends of Hockey |access-date=September 19, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080224061224/http://www.legendsofhockey.net/html/ind97ees.htm |archive-date=February 24, 2008 }}</ref> In his last game of the regular season, Lemieux needed three goals to tie [[Guy Lafleur]]'s record of 130 goals; he scored six and added six assists in a 16–4 victory.<ref name="legends of hockey" /> During the playoffs, he scored 29 goals and earned 52 points in 14 games, while leading his team to a berth at the [[1984 Memorial Cup]].<ref name="1984-memorial-cup">{{cite web|url=https://chlmemorialcup.ca/1984-ottawa-67s/|title=1984 – Ottawa 67's|year=2019|website=Memorial Cup|publisher=Canadian Hockey League|access-date=January 12, 2020|archive-date=June 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190630033206/https://chlmemorialcup.ca/1984-ottawa-67s/|url-status=live}}</ref> His appearance at the Canadian [[junior ice hockey]] national championship was highly anticipated, but Lemieux was held to only two goals and three assists as the Laval Voisins lost all three games.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Lapp|first1=Richard M.|last2=Macaulay|first2=Alec|title=The Memorial Cup: Canada's National Junior Hockey Championship|publisher=Harbour Publishing|date=1997|location=Madeira Park, British Columbia|isbn=1-55017-170-4|pages=214–216}}</ref>

Although he played in the [[1983 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships|1983 World Junior Hockey Championships]], Lemieux did not play for the Canadian Juniors in [[1984 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships|1984]] because he disliked how coach [[Dave King (ice hockey)|Dave King]] treated him in the previous tournament.<ref name="hockeydraft">{{cite web|url=http://www.hockeydraftcentral.com/1984/84001.html|title=Mario Lemieux|publisher=Hockey Draft Central|access-date=September 19, 2007|archive-date=September 8, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070908102118/http://www.hockeydraftcentral.com/1984/84001.html|url-status=live}}</ref> He also did not want to break up his junior season.<ref name="OntheIce"/> He finished his QMJHL career with 562 points (247 goals, 315 assists) in only 200 games across three seasons. Before the [[1984 NHL Entry Draft]], Lemieux announced that he wanted to play for whoever drafted him.<ref name="OntheIce"/> He and his agent were deadlocked with the [[Pittsburgh Penguins]] and could not negotiate a contract. Because of this, when the Penguins called his name as the first overall draft pick, he did not shake [[General manager (sports)|general manager]] [[Eddie Johnston]]'s hand nor don the Penguins jersey, which is NHL tradition. He claimed he was upset about the contract negotiation, and said that "Pittsburgh doesn't want [him] bad enough."<ref name="OntheIce"/> Even though the draft was held in Montreal, over 3,000 fans viewed a broadcast in Pittsburgh's [[Civic Arena (Pittsburgh)|Civic Arena]]; a typical Penguins game drew fewer than 7,000 fans at the time.<ref name="OntheIce"/> After the draft, Johnston signed Lemieux to a two-year contract for $600,000 plus a $150,000 signing bonus.<ref name="OntheIce"/>