- By Black Stallion
- Published 12/7/2012
Who is Mario Lemieux is the first thing that a person must know before knowing about the organization? Mario Lemieux was born on 5th October 1965 in Canada and was a former professional ice hockey player as well. He is also the co owner of the NHL (National Hockey League) team Pittsburgh Penguins and also the co owner of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins a team of AHL (American Hockey League).He is considered one of the best forwards of all times and although he has a huge figure but his fast skating skills with fakes were often the nightmare for defence men. He was not only a gifted forward but also a brilliant playmaker.
He is the only person who has won two Stanley Cups in the year 1991 and 1992 and also won the same cup in the year 2009 as a chairman of Penguins. He has also led Canada to an Olympic gold medal in the year 2002, a championship at the World Cup of Hockey in the year 2004 and also a Canada Cup in the year 1987. He won three Hart Trophies as the NHL’s most valuable player (MVP) during the regular season, six Art Ross Trophies as the league’s leading scorer, and two Conn Smythe Trophies as playoff MVP which is an indication as to why he is considered one of the greatest players of Ice Hockey. He was inducted in the Canada’s Walk of Fame in the year 2004 which is the fitting respect he deserves. Later on in the year 1999 he became the principal owner and chairman of the board of the Penguins when he bought the team out of bankruptcy.
The Mario Lemieux Foundation was created in the year 1993 by this ice hockey legend. In the year 1993 Mario Lemieux was having one of the greatest years of his ice hockey career but then suddenly he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease. That was a real setback for him as he was well on his way to create a new NHL scoring record. Although Mario is now cancer free but it opened his eyes and he devotes most of his time now in raising funds for his foundation which works for those that are not as fortunate as Mario is. His main target is now to eradicate cancer and make the world cancer free.
This foundation is a charitable organisation that is also funding numerous scientists in their war against cancer. This foundation has also made big donations such as a five million dollar donation was given to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre for establishing the Mario Lemieux Centres for Patient Care and Research in the year 2001. Also a two million dollar donation was given by this organisation as charity to the Children’s Home of Pittsburgh in the year 2005. A lot of other organisations such as University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the Leukaemia Society, the Lupus Foundation and the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh are receiving support as charity from this foundation.
To actually know more about this organisation who is taking the leading role in the eradication of cancer visit http://www.mariolemieux.org and you are bound to be surprised at the work they are doing.
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