Mario Lemieux, Mats Sundin and Wayne Gretzky are standing before God, at the throne of Heaven. God looks at them and says, "Before granting you a place at my side, I must first ask you what you believe in."

Addressing Lemieux first he asks, "What do you believe?" Mario looks God in the eye and states passionately, "I believe hockey to be the food of life. Nothing else brings such unbridled joy to so many people from Moscow to the bright lights of New York. I have devoted my life to bringing such joy to people who watch us and support their team."
God looks up and offers Mario the seat to his left.

He then turns to Mats Sundin, "And you, Mats, what do you believe?" Mats stands tall and proud, "I believe courage, honour and passion are the fundamentals to life and I've spent my whole playing career providing a living embodiment of these traits."
God, moved by the passion of the speech offers Mats the seat to his right.

Finally, he turns to Wayne Gretzky, "And you, Wayne, what do you believe?" "I believe," says Gretzky, "You're sitting in my seat."