Crosby didn’t know until breakfast Tuesday morning that Lemieux was quitting, though he guessed it might happen soon.

“It’s just tough to see him leave,” Crosby said of the man who turned comebacks into an art form. “He’s had such an impact on the game. He’s really got a passion for the game. I don’t think anyone ever should have to deal with so much.”

What’s remarkable to Crosby is how much Lemieux accomplished in an oft-interrupted 17-season career that was nearly halved by medical misfortune — two Stanley Cup championships, six scoring titles, three MVP awards, two playoff MVP awards, an Olympic gold medal, a Canada Cup title against the Soviet Union in 1987.

Lemieux was such a talent, he scored a goal on the first shift of his first game as a rookie in 1984. Then, 16 years later in December 2000, he needed only a half-minute on the ice to set up a goal in his first game following a 44-month retirement. He had two assists and a goal that night, and likely would have won another scoring title had he played the full season.

“It was a great challenge playing against him,” New Jersey goalie Martin Brodeur said. “I really looked forward to facing him and was fortunate to be able to play with him internationally. He took care of business on and off the ice and certainly will be missed.”

Lemieux, a first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee in 1997, also missed considerable time with hip injuries during the 2001-02 and 2003-04 seasons, a rare bone infection that followed a 1991 back operation and countless back problems. Since 1996-97, he played more than 43 games in a season only once.

“How many more points would he have had if he stayed reasonably healthy?” Hall of Fame forward Bryan Trottier said. “Four hundred? Five hundred? Six hundred? We’ll never know. No disrespect to Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe, Mark Messier, Bobby Orr, Gilbert Perreault ... but Mario did things nobody else could ever do.”

Lemieux had fewer goals than Gretzky (690 to 894) and fewer assists (1,033 to 1,963) but played nearly 600 fewer games than The Great One, many of them surrounded by far less talent than Gretzky played with most of his career in Edmonton. The current Penguins are on a 10-game losing streak after being projected as a playoff contender.

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“For him to go through all he’s gone through, yet do everything he’s done on the ice is unbelievable,” Crosby said. “It’s all weighed on him. It hasn’t been easy — the team’s losing and he’s trying to keep the team in Pittsburgh. It’s got to wear on you.”

Once the Penguins are sold, and there is no timetable for doing so, Lemieux plans to explore his options in hockey. He stepped down last week as the Penguins’ chief executive officer but will remain as chairman of the board.

One reason he is selling is because he won’t take any role in relocating the team from Pittsburgh should it be forced to move.

“We should all feel fortunate,” teammate and friend Mark Recchi said of Lemieux, “that we had the opportunity just to be around him.”

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