PITTSBURGH — Lillian Tarasiewicz may live in South Carolina but she's a Pittsburgh Penguins fan and Monday she got to skate with the most famous Penguin of them all: Mario Lemieux.
Tarasiewicz, 16, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, the same cancer that Lemieux had and overcame during his NHL career.
Because of her father’s Pennsylvania roots, Tarasiewicz has always had a love for hockey and the Penguins, and she felt a special connection to Lemieux and admired him for being a cancer survivor.
On Monday, she put on her hockey skates and took to the ice at Heinz Field with her idol, thanks to the Make-a-Wish Foundation.
Sporting a No. 66 jersey with her name on the back, Tarasiewicz was whisked around the ice by the Penguins owner and former player, a sharing a moment she'll likely never forget.
The two met up at the 2017 Mario Lemieux Fantasy Hockey Camp, which benefits the Mario Lemieux Foundation.
Tarasiewicz and her family spent the weekend in Pittsburgh and attended Saturday’s Stadium Series game.