I think that with a lot of hard work and dedication, I feel that I could be the best in the world. I'm still only 35 years old... I have a fresh start physically and mentally, and I feel that I can achieve my goal to be the best again.

The streak's length was second only to Gretzky's 51-game streak. During the tournament his hip injury required several painkilling injections to keep him on the ice and he only played one more NHL game after the Olympics before being lost for the season.

In 2004 he was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame. Lemieux's impact on the NHL has been significant: Andrew Conte of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review called him the "savior" of the Pittsburgh Penguins and after Lemieux's retirement Wayne Gretzky commented that "You don't replace players like Mario Lemieux [. He ranks second in NHL history with a 0.