Later on, Lemieux's back began troubling him, causing him to miss many games through the latter part of his career. Still, in 1997, Lemieux scored his 600th career goal in his 719th game. Gretzky did it in his 718th.

Two things make me say that Lemieux is on an equal plateau with Gretzky. One, Lemieux returned from numerous injuries and even cancer, and was still the best player in the league. Gretzky never went through a fragment of the injuries that Lemieux did.

One would assume that his numbers were affected when he did play, since he had missed so much time and was not in top form, so his overall point totals and records, which are very close to Gretzky's anyways, could have been even higher.

Secondly, Lemieux, except for the latter part of his career, was a one-man army. He never had any superstars on his team until the arrival of Jagr, and he did not play for many years alongside the Czech superstar.

Gretzky, who had the six most prolific assist seasons in NHL history, played alongside Mark Messier and Paul Coffey, two tremendous players and certain Hall of Famers. With teammates like that, Gretzky's offensive arsenal was unlimited, and he showed it.

So, when anyone thinks of the greatest player in hockey, Gretzky obviously comes to mind, but Lemieux should be right alongside him.

Now Lemieux makes yet another comeback, hoping to lead the team he first built, then bought to save it from being sold to another city, once again to the Stanley Cup.

People say that he can't do it, that, as a fellow sports writer remarked, "he'll be wheezing on the ice." It is a well-known fact that greatness never fades, and no better word fits Lemieux.