NHL documentary examines Mario Lemieux’s season fighting cancer

In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the 1992-93 NHL season, there is a documentary coming on NHL Network about one of the more eventful years in league history.

This year also marks the 25^th anniversary of arguably the most remarkable season in NHL history, highlighted by thrilling performances from some of the game’s greatest heroes in Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Patrick Roy, and the emergence of rookie sensations Eric Lindros and Teemu Selanne. In the latest installment of the documentary series NHL Network Originals, NHL Network relives the on-ice heroics, behind-the-scenes drama and lasting significance of that year and how it’s become all the more extraordinary in the more than two decades since in Picture Perfect: The 1992-93 Season on Friday, June 1 at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT.

In new interviews with Hockey Hall of Famer and former Los Angeles Kings left wing Luc Robitaille, former Kings head coach Barry Melrose, Hockey Hall of Famer Bob Miller, former Montreal Canadiens center Guy Carbonneau and former Canadiens left wing Kirk Muller, Picture Perfect revisits moments and storylines that could have each headlined a single season, from Gretzky’s career-threatening injury that kept him from the first 39 games of the season, to Roy going from being the subject of trade rumors to leading the Canadiens to a Stanley Cup championship. The film also examines the inspiring endurance and dominant comeback of “Super Mario” Lemieux following his diagnosis and treatment for Hodgkin’s Disease, as described by current and former hockey journalists Al Morganti, Tom McMillan, Paul Steigerwald and Gary Thorne.

Picture Perfect: The 1992-93 Season is the fourth installment of the documentary series NHL Network Originals, following The First NHL Winter Classic, Hockey Goes Outside, Orchestrating An Upset: The 1996 World Cup of Hockey and Slap Shot at 40.

For Penguins fans 1992-93 is a very bittersweet year, as the team’s dynasty-in-the-making was shockingly halted in the 2nd round of the playoffs in their bid for a third straight Stanley Cup win.

However, anytime you can hear Pens historian gurus Tom McMillan and Paul Steigerwald talk about the good old days and Mario Lemieux, you’ve gotta watch. 1993, of course, was the year that Lemieux fought cancer and still won the scoring title.

Most Pens fans by now know this story well, however the fanbase gets younger and every year is a year further from memory, so this accomplishment and tale really can’t be celebrated enough.

The 1993 season ended with a dud, but for Pittsburgh fans you can never revel too much in what Lemieux accomplished that season. The full documentary premieres Friday night on the NHL Network, with re-runs I’m sure to follow throughout the weekend.