The 4 Nations Face-Off started Wednesday night in Montreal with Canada taking on Sweden, and fans were in for a great moment. Before the game, Canadian hockey legend and Pittsburgh Penguins icon Mario Lemieux made an unexpected appearance in his hometown.

After years without genuine best-on-best hockey, it was nothing unexpected that the sport’s legends were met with booming praise from fans, energetic for the arrival of a high-level international competition.

Hockey icon Mario Lemieux stepped onto the ice to a thundering Montreal crowd as the 4 Nations Face-Off festivities began Wednesday night. The hometown legend waved as fans rose to their feet, reciting “Mario! Mario!”

A warm welcome back to Montreal for Le Magnifique! 🐐 pic.twitter.com/XJG6p768qN

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) February 13, 2025

Mario Lemieux connects with Sidney Crosby

The energy in the field took off when Lemieux motioned for Canada’s captain, Sidney Crosby—a player with whom he shares a profound connection. Drafted first overall in 2005, Crosby stepped into Lemieux’s shoes as Pittsburgh’s franchise cornerstone.

As a young star, Crosby even lived with Lemieux prior to taking over as the Penguins’ longtime captain, a role he has held for 18 seasons and counting. Crosby has since led the team to three Stanley Cup titles, outperforming Lemieux’s two. The two posed for a photo before the puck dropped.

The accolade for hockey’s history and present extended beyond Canada. Finnish icon Teemu Selanne, Swedish standout Daniel Alfredsson, and American goaltending extraordinary Mike Richter were totally presented close by their respective team captains.

Lemieux flaunts a rich legacy wearing the red and white in top-tier international competition, most eminently collaborating with Gretzky for the game-dominating goal against the Soviet Union in the 1987 Canada Cup. He likewise captained Team Canada at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, leading the country to its first gold medal in 50 years.

Mario Lemieux likewise led Team Canada during the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, adding to his legacy on the international stage. Drafted first overall by the Penguins in 1984, he led the franchise to consecutive Stanley Cup titles in 1991 and 1992 as a player. His effect stretched out past the ice, as he later directed Pittsburgh to three additional titles (2009, 2016, 2017) as the team’s owner.

Many think about Mario Lemieux as the best hockey player ever. The Athletic ranked him No. 2 on their record-breaking list; however, legendary coach Scotty Bowman scrutinized that placement, saying, “He’s No. 2, huh? You could have him excessively low. Mario’s the best player that always lived.”

Notwithstanding a serious back injury and a fight with cancer that kept him off the ice for extended periods, Lemieux could have rewritten the record books in front of Gretzky. More than 17 seasons disturbed by absences, he racked up 1,723 points in only 915 games—an incredible 1.88 points per game. Had he sustained that degree of production all through a longer profession, Gretzky’s records might have been in peril.