Super Mario Didn’t Need Long to Turn the Trick

It didn’t take Mario Lemieux very long to score the first hat trick of his amazing comeback.

Lemieux’s 40th career game with at least three goals came in his 13th contest following a 3 1/2-year retirement.

He scored once in each period Wednesday night in Pittsburgh’s 3-1 home victory over Montreal.

“It’s nice to get one (hat trick) because I’ve had a couple of other opportunities,” said Lemieux, who has three multiple-goal games since returning.

“I still get up to play Montreal -- it’s where my family lives and I have a lot of friends there watching me.”

Lemieux has 14 goals and 12 assists since he got back on the ice Dec. 27.

Only Wayne Gretzky, with 50 career hat tricks, has more in NHL history. When Lemieux retired in 1997, he was tied for second with Mike Bossy.

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TRADING PLACES: Rich Pilon finally scored his first goal for the New York Rangers. But his offensive struggles go back much farther than last season, when he went from the rival Islanders to the Rangers.

When Pilon gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead Wednesday night against the Carolina Hurricanes, it was the first goal for the defenseman in 246 games--dating to Feb. 23, 1997. Pilon’s seventh career goal came in his 601st game.

“It was kind of good to get that gorilla off my back,” said Pilon, a 13-year veteran who had the NHL’s longest active goal drought. “It was getting heavier every game.”

Pilon nearly ended the streak at 222 games when he was credited with a goal on Nov. 28, but it was ruled that his shot was tipped in by teammate Adam Graves.

With Pilon finally getting on the board, New Jersey defenseman Ken Daneyko took over the top spot in current scoring futility.

Not long after the Rangers lost, Daneyko completed his 155th straight game without a goal.

“Obviously I’m aware of it, but my teammates don’t bother me about it. That’s why we win,” said Daneyko, who scored his 34th and most recent NHL goal on Feb. 9, 1999. “I seldom go over the blue line, so I don’t get any chances.

“But that’s not my job. If one happens to go in, fine, but I’m not going to worry about it.”

Daneyko, who has played his entire 18-year career with the Devils, does own two Stanley Cup rings. Pilon has only been in the playoffs once, with the Islanders in 1993.

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STUCK ON ZERO: Goals were at a premium the night of Jan. 19 in Nashville and Buffalo.

The Boston Bruins and Nashville Predators were locked in a scoreless game deep into regulation, while the Florida Panthers and Buffalo Sabres were doing the same.

Then the Sabres’ Denis Hamel scored with only 7.9 seconds left in the third period to give Buffalo a 1-0 victory. Panthers goalie Roberto Luongo was a hard-luck loser after shining in a 35-save performance.

Nashville won its game in overtime when defenseman Cale Hulse scored his first goal of the season 2:24 into the extra session.

“There is a small margin of error with us, and we have to work for everything we get,” said Predators goalie Mike Dunham, who also made 35 saves--in a winning effort.

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SHOWING SUPPORT: Last weekend, NHL team captains wore special patches recognizing the “Hockey Fights Cancer” charity.

The league and its players’ association teamed up for an online auction that began Jan. 17 and runs through Feb. 5--the day after the end of All-Star weekend.

The second annual auction is raising money for cancer research and children’s hospitals across North America.

Among the items up for bid are a goalie mask signed by Colorado’s Patrick Roy; lunches with players; tours of locker rooms; and the game-worn jerseys signed by the captains.