Mario Lemieux Statue, Named ‘Le Magnifique,’ Unveiled by Pittsburgh Penguins (Photo)

Directly translated from French, "le mieux" means "the best." So perhaps it was fate that Mario Lemieux became one of hockey's all-time greats in a legendary career that spanned from 1984 to 1997.

On Wednesday, the Penguins recognized Super Mario's greatness by unveiling a statue outside of Consol Energy Center, depicting the forward bursting through two defenders on his way to the goal. The 10-foot tall bronze sculpture weighs in at 4,700 lbs. and took sculptor Bruce Wolfe over 15 months to build.

The statue, named "Le Magnifique" in Lemieux's honor, appears to have been worth the wait. See for yourself in the picture below.

Photo via Twitter/@pghpenguins