The Talk Of The Town

"If you go at Mario like a madman, he'll make you look like a complete idiot," says Bruin defenseman Ray Bourque. "He just holds the puck out there on his forehand and dares to you to commit yourself. If you do, he slips it past you, and if you don't, he controls the blue line and has time to make the play."

Lemieux's game is a study in self-control. He does not appear to play furiously; his arms and legs do not flail madly. "He's a very deceptive skater," says Philadelphia's Ron Sutter, one of Lemieux's designated shadows this season. "Believe me, when he wants to go, he goes."

"Walter Gretzky gave it to Wayne," says Sather. "Jean-Guy Lemieux gave it to Mario." Sather was just talking about one quality, talent. But Jean-Guy also gave his son a name that means "the best." In every way, Mario is living up to his inheritance.