Lemieux, who narrowly missed a fifth goal when he bounced a show off the goal post on a short-handed breakaway, dominated from the opening shift, obliterated Wayne Gretzky in their national network competition and became the first three-time All-Star MVP.
"Game Plan?" said Pat Burns, the flabbergasted Wales coach. "There's not too much of a game plan to have with No. 66 in front of you. You just let him play."
The Penguins center took his cue before an NBC television audience and a Civic Arena sellout of 16,236. He scored his first goal at the 21-seond mark, twirling out from behind
Lemieux got three goals on three shots in the first period, hoisting the Wales to a 7-2 lead, and never let up. One of his most spectacular efforts came on a non-scoring play, when he circled the new with the puck, found no reasonable opening, and began to circle again until two embarrassed Campbellites ganged up and tipped it away.
"He's a God-given goal-scorer," said Campbell coach Terry Crisp. "I guess you appreciate it a little more when the best in the business are out there, and he's still doing his stuff."
Lemieux's four goals tired Gretzky for the single-game All Star mark, and he became the first player to score two career hat tricks in the midseason competition.
For perspective, know that only two other players - Gretzky and Ted Lindsay - have scored All-Star hat tricks.
Lemieux won his first MVP award in his rookie season, 1984-1985, then duplicated his feat two years ago, when his three goals and All-Star record six points led the Wales to an overtime victory.
So, already, there is evidence that he is the greatest player in All-Star history. His 14 points rank second on the all-time list, but Lemieux has achieved that total in just five games. Hall-of-Famer Gordie Howe is the leader with 19 points, but he played in 23 games.
Gretzky has 13 points in 10 All-Star games.
"You're talking about a guy who rises to the occasion, to the big game," said Eddie Johnston, the Penguins' former general manager. "The first time he was on the ice for s as a Penguin, he scored a goal. He score the winning goal in the Canada Cup. He got the first one out there today."
"When I saw that, I just shook my head. I said, 'Oh, boy. Look out.'"
Lemieux's lightning opening goal set a lousy trend for the goalies. The game's best skater and scorers mounted a relentless assault on the record book, including most goals by one team, 12 for the Wales, and most goals by both teams, 19.
