Canada honors NHL's Lemieux

MONTREAL, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- Canadian hockey great Mario Lemieux will receive another honor Friday when he is made an officer of the Order of Canada, authorities say.

The Order of Canada, established in 1967 to mark the country's centennial, recognizes outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation.

Lemieux was named a member of the Order of Canada, the first of the three levels of the award, in June 2009, The (Montreal) Gazette reported.

Officer of the Order of Canada is the second level, while companion to the Order of Canada is the highest level, the newspaper said.

Lemieux, a Montreal native, was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1984 NHL entry draft and helped transform the Penguins from a lackluster franchise to two-time Stanley Cup winners in the early 1990s.

He cemented his reputation as the "savior of the franchise" when he bought the team out of bankruptcy in 1999 and became the principal owner of the team, winning another Stanley Cup as owner in 2008-2009.