Mark Madden: Fantasy camp brings back memories of Mario Lemieux's 5-goal greatness

The Mario Lemieux Fantasy Hockey Camp wrapped up Wednesday. Once again, Lemieux’s team won the four-team competition. That’s happened every year since the camp debuted in 2012.

But that’s because Lemieux plays for all the teams at least once. The founder of the feast works overtime.

The camp is an amazing experience. Campers pay dearly for the chance to play hockey with Lemieux and a whole host of hockey legends. This year’s event featured 28 Stanley Cups, six Hall-of-Famers and over 3,900 goals.

I get to hang out for free. But I’m in the hole $6,600 because of that faceoff bet, so I figure I’ve done my part.

The camp has raised over $4 million for cancer research and other associated projects. It’s part of the Mario Lemieux Foundation, which has raised over $30 million.

It’s always fun to reminisce about Lemieux. But where do you start, and where do you stop? Lemieux blew around Hall-of-Famer Ray Bourque to score on his first shift, first shot, and everything after that was a highlight reel.

Lemieux’s four five-goal games are solid fodder. Each has a story beyond being a five-goal game.

The first was five goals, five ways on New Year’s Eve, 1988. Nobody realized exactly what Lemieux had done till the next day. “Hey, wait a minute…he scored every single way you can.” Even strength, power play, shorthanded, penalty shot, empty net. It was later voted the NHL’s No. 1 moment ever.

It might be Jay Caufield’s No. 1 moment ever, too. The enforcer assisted on the empty-netter. Caufield was not traditionally used to protect leads. That night, he made history.

Lemieux had five goals and three assists in a 1989 playoff game against Philadelphia. Flyers goalie Ron Hextall was flailing worse than he did as Penguins GM at this year’s trade deadline. (He chased Robbie Brown that night. This year, he caught Mikael Granlund. “This one’s too small. Throw him back.”)

Lemieux netted five times at Madison Square Garden in 1993, the season he came back from cancer. The hardcore MSG crowd gave him a reluctant standing ovation. “Well…I guess we’d better. Five goals. Cancer. Aw, crap.” But it built to a frothy crescendo.

His final five-goal game was in 1996 vs. St. Louis, which had acquired Wayne Gretzky at the trade deadline. Lemieux’s son Austin was born the day before. It was a proper salute.

Ben Roethlisberger appeared on my show Tuesday, and revealed that San Francisco tried to get him to come out of retirement last season. But Roethlisberger declined, saying, “I just can’t see myself in anything other than black and gold.”

Roethlisberger’s got a touch of Lemieux about him. There’s nobility attached to spending your whole career with one team. Sidney Crosby’s got that, too. (Probably.)

Had Lemieux not opted to buy the Penguins out of bankruptcy, he could have come out of retirement and got $20 million to play one season for the New York Rangers or Montreal. But Lemieux decided to keep his jersey alive. Like I said, nobility.

The campers were at the Penguins home game vs. Ottawa Monday. The way the Penguins played in that 2-1 loss, the Penguins should have paid to watch the campers play.

Lemieux was not shown on the Jumbotron. That would have sparked a huge pop, but that’s not his style, especially given that it’s the first game he’s attended this season. Lemieux resides mostly in Florida, where Austin is trying to make it as a pro golfer. Lemieux was never going to be Joe Louis at the casino door. He doesn’t own the Penguins anymore.

At any rate, Lemieux will be back for next year’s fantasy camp. Even if he says no. He’s said no before, and he always comes back. He skates a handful of times before, jumps out there, and still looks the part. Best player on the ice, like always.

Except when Tie Domi turns it up a notch.