Laval Voisins and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) alumnus Mario Lemieux has been ranked No. 1 on the CHL’s Top 50 Players of the Last 50 Years list, a marquee initiative of the CHL’s 50th anniversary season.
Lemieux’s selection completes the countdown, with all 50 players now revealed, and provides a fitting finish at the top of the rankings.
A pair of Pittsburgh Penguins cornerstone players, past and present, occupy the first two spots, with Lemieux at No. 1 and Rimouski Océanic (QMJHL) alumnus Sidney Crosby at No. 2. The completed top five also includes Peterborough Petes and Soo Greyhounds (OHL) alumnus Wayne Gretzky at No. 3, Erie Otters (OHL) alumnus Connor McDavid at No. 4, and Laval National (QMJHL) alumnus Mike Bossy at No. 5.
The countdown recognizes the greatest players from the Western Hockey League (WHL), Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) since 1975-76, celebrating the stars who have defined major junior hockey over the past five decades. As part of the initiative, a panel of media members first selected the Top 50 Players of the Last 50 Years. The final ranking order was then determined using a weighted formula that combined media and fan voting to rank the players from No. 1 through No. 50.
“I’m honored to be chosen among this group of great players. My time at Laval and in the QMJHL played a big role in preparing me for an NHL career,” said Lemieux. “We all appreciate what the CHL has meant to Canadian hockey and the development of our players through the years.”
“Mario Lemieux’s dominance with the Laval Voisins remains one of the defining achievements in CHL history,” stated Dan MacKenzie, President of the CHL. “His 1983-84 season set a standard that has stood for more than 40 years, and the career that followed only strengthened his place among the greatest players our game has ever seen. As we complete this countdown, the full Top 50 list is a powerful reminder of the elite talent the CHL has developed across generations, from era-defining stars like Mario to today’s best players. It reflects the role that our Leagues play in developing these young men into not just elite hockey players but also world-class citizens. It reinforces the impact our Clubs have on their communities, and why the CHL continues to be the best development league in the world. On behalf of the CHL, congratulations to Mario and to all 50 players recognized through this anniversary initiative.”
Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in hockey history, Lemieux’s rise to stardom began in Laval, where he produced one of the most dominant careers ever seen in the CHL. Selected first overall by the Voisins in the 1981 QMJHL Draft, the Montreal, Que., product recorded 96 points (30 goals and 66 assists) in 64 games during his rookie season in 1981-82, before adding 14 points in 18 playoff contests.
Lemieux elevated his production in 1982-83, recording 184 points (84 goals and 100 assists) in 66 regular-season games with Laval. He added 32 points, including 14 goals and 18 assists, in 12 playoff games and was named to the QMJHL Second All-Star Team.
His 1983-84 season remains one of the greatest individual campaigns in hockey history. Over 70 regular-season games with Laval, Lemieux set CHL single-season records with 133 goals and 282 points, while adding 149 assists. His remarkable campaign also included a CHL-record 61-game point streak, 21 hat tricks, five games with eight or more points, and a 50-goal mark reached in just 27 games.
In his final regular-season game with Laval, Lemieux scored six goals and added five assists in a 16-4 win over Longueuil, finishing the campaign with a CHL-record 133 goals and capturing the QMJHL scoring title by 112 points over linemate Jacques Goyette.
Lemieux continued his dominance in the 1984 QMJHL Playoffs, posting 52 points (29 goals and 23 assists) in 14 games as Laval captured the QMJHL championship and advanced to the 1984 Memorial Cup. His 29 playoff goals set a QMJHL record that stood for 14 years.
For his historic 1983-84 season, Lemieux was named CHL Player of the Year, QMJHL MVP, QMJHL Top Scorer, QMJHL Top Pro Prospect, and QMJHL Playoff MVP. Across three seasons with Laval, he totalled 562 points — 247 goals and 315 assists — in 200 regular-season games.
Lemieux’s legacy in junior hockey has continued to be recognized long after his time with Laval. He was inducted into the QMJHL Hall of Fame in 1999, named the Laval Voisins’ centre on the club’s All-Time Team that same year, and selected as the centre on the CHL All-Time Team alongside goaltender Bernie Parent (Niagara Falls Flyers / OHL), defenceman Bobby Orr (Oshawa Generals / OHL), Denis Potvin (Ottawa 67’s / OHL), Guy Lafleur (Québec Remparts / QMJHL), and Brian Propp (Brandon Wheat Kings / WHL). In 2019, he was selected as the No. 2 player in QMJHL history by a panel of distinguished members of the hockey community.
Following his CHL career, Lemieux was selected first overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1984 NHL Draft. He made an immediate impact in the NHL, scoring on his first shot on his first shift in his debut, and went on to record 100 points (43 goals and 57 assists) as a rookie in 1984-85, earning the Calder Trophy.
Lemieux’s NHL career stands among the most decorated in league history. A Hockey Hall of Fame inductee, he won two Stanley Cup championships with Pittsburgh in 1991 and 1992, capturing the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP both years. His NHL résumé also includes three Hart Trophies, four Ted Lindsay Awards — formerly known as the Lester B. Pearson Award — six Art Ross Trophies, three NHL goal-scoring titles, the Bill Masterton Trophy, five NHL First All-Star Team selections, and four NHL Second All-Star Team selections Named one of the NHL’s 100 Greatest Players in 2017, Lemieux retired in 2006 with 690 goals, 1,033 assists, and 1,723 points in 915 regular-season games.
Internationally, Lemieux also built an exceptional résumé with Canada. He won bronze at the 1983 IIHF World Junior Championship, helped Canada earn silver at the 1985 IIHF World Championship, played a pivotal role in Canada’s 1987 Canada Cup victory, captained Canada to Olympic gold in 2002, and captained Canada to gold at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey. He was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2008 and was named to Canada’s IIHF All-Time Team in 2020 as part of the 100th anniversary of the Ice Hockey World Championships.
