A New Twist to the Old Art of Scoring

The possibly career-ending back surgery that Mario Lemieux will undergo if his program of therapy is unsuccessful is merely another chapter in the story of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ misfortune.

Bob Smizik of the Pittsburgh Press writes:

“Lemieux is not the first French-Canadian center to light up this town. Twenty years ago there was another. He wasn’t as good as Lemieux. Who has been? But for the Penguins in 1970, Michel Briere was hope for the future. “He was quiet like Lemieux, had trouble with the language like Lemieux did in his early years. He had 44 points--third best on the team--in his rookie season of 1969-70. His talent was obvious. The Penguins had their first young star. In the playoffs--the Penguins’ first--he had five goals and three assists in 10 games.

“ ‘He was the biggest leader we had,’ veteran Ken Schinkel said. ‘He was the catalyst. He made us go.’

“On May 15, 1970, Briere was involved in an auto accident in Quebec. Eleven months later he was dead. It might be said the franchise never recovered.

“And now the latest misfortune. Lemieux chased (Wayne) Gretzky’s consecutive-game scoring streak with a vengeance. He wanted it too badly. The doctors say it made no difference that he kept playing. But how can a man who can barely walk be allowed to take the ice?

“We might never know if it would have been different if he had sat down a month ago or two weeks ago. The doctors say it wouldn’t have been. But no one will know for certain.

“Will Lemieux be back? Probably. But if you know the franchise, you can’t be certain.”

Trivia time: On Feb. 21, 1970, Pete Maravich scored 64 points for Louisiana State, but the Tigers lost to Kentucky, 121-105. Who scored 51 points for the Wildcats?

Belly down: What did Kent Desormeaux think of his first week of racing at Santa Anita? Andrew Beyer of the Washington Post quotes him: “The track is so speed-favoring that everybody sends their horse out of the gate. Every rider is bellied down the way I would normally do from the sixteenth pole to the wire. If you’re not running 1-2-3-4 early, you’re not going to get much. And you get a lot tighter riding because everybody is looking to occupy the same place.”

Hail the chief: Bobby Garcia, center for Miami’s national championship football team, on Jimmy Johnson, who left the Hurricanes to coach the 1-15 Dallas Cowboys: “He must have been going crazy every week. He’s like Jimmy Carter--he looked pretty good when he became president, and when he left, he was an old man.”

New dimensions: Sarunas Marciulionis of the Golden State Warriors, on playing in the NBA: “Everything here is much faster. Much stronger. It’s a different style. In Soviet Union, we didn’t pay attention to rebounding and defense. But here, it’s important.”

It’ll never happen: John McEnroe, after criticizing the new ATP Tour at the SkyDome World Tennis Tournament in Toronto last week: “I care, but I have to lead my own life. I don’t want to end up like some wacky nut case.”

Trivia answer: Dan Issel.

Quotebook: Don Fehr, negotiator for the baseball players union: “I am not a romantic. I don’t think you can be, in my position. Unlike many people, I don’t think American culture will collapse if baseball collapses.”