Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League introduces The Mario Lemieux Trophy for league's top-scorer
QUEBEC (KDKA) - Decades after he dominated junior hockey, Penguins' legend and Hockey Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux's legacy only continues to grow.
The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League announced earlier this week the introduction of the Mario Lemieux Trophy which will be given to the league's leading scorer at the end of each season.
From 1981 until 1984, Lemieux played three seasons for the Laval Voisins where he scored 247 goals in 200 games.
It's official! As of this year, the #QMJHL will reward the regular season's top scorer with the Mario-Lemieux Trophy! 🚨
— QMJHL (@QMJHL) January 16, 2024
Details: https://t.co/B9cmpO1j7w pic.twitter.com/Myi9SwLszc
In the 1984 season, Lemieux scored 133 goals and 282 points in just 70 games - both of which remain a QMJHL record.
"Forty years later, we still remember Mario Lemieux's landmark career in our league," said QMJHL Commissioner Mario Cecchini. "To this day, he still holds many of our league's offensive records, including most goals in a season. Naming the top scorer trophy after him was just a natural choice. It makes his legacy to the QMJHL even more indelible."
In the 1983-84 season, Lemieux and the Voisins lost in the Candian Hockey League Memorial Cup Finals - the championship tournament played between the best teams in the QMJHL, the Western Hockey League, and the Ontario Hockey League - with Lemieux scoring 29 goals in 14 Memorial Cup Playoff games.
"Playing in the QMJHL provided a great foundation for my NHL career," Lemieux said. "I am deeply honored that the league and its clubs have chosen to attach my name to the scoring championship trophy. Thank you!"
Lemieux is not the only Penguins' legend who played in the QMJHL.
Current captain Sidney Crosby played two seasons for the Rimouski Oceanic and scored 120 goals and 303 points in 121 games.