Hey, Gary Bettman, wouldn't it be great if Mario Lemieux took a page out of George Foreman's book?

Okay, Gary, it sounds a little strange. And no, I'm not saying Super Mario should start selling a no-fat grill on some late-night infomercial.

But hear me out, Mr. Commish.

Your league needs a star. I mean a Michael Jordan/Tiger Woods-type star. It's needs a happy-go-lucky character who can hurl himself headlong into the spotlight. It needs a guy who can rub elbows with Leno and Letterman, shoot it with Oprah and Regis, and then go head-to-head with Larry King.

During his first career, Mario was pure beauty on the ice. He was the never-before-seen combination of size and finesse. Off the ice, though, he was a quiet guy. Interviews weren't his thing. For all his amazing skill, he wasn't the crossover star who would bring thousands of new fans to the Coolest Game On Earth.

Big ol' George Foreman wasn't too different during his first pro career. Inside the ring, he was deadly. Outside, he too was reclusive -- almost shy. He won an Olympic gold medal and a heavyweight championship, and no one was sad when he got rope-a-doped by the great Ali in Zaire.

A decade later, when Big George reemerged, he was a different man. Heavier. Bald. But with this huge grin pasted to his face. Foreman had transformed into a smiling, jolly pied piper. He turned up on all the talk shows. He did guest spots on sitcoms. He was everywhere. Suddenly, nasty ol' George Foreman was America's pal.

See Commish, if only Lemieux came back as both a great player and a great personality, this game of yours might just take flight -- as in baseball, basketball, football flight.

Can't you see it? Lemieux filming SportsCenter commercials, appearing on Just Shoot Me, answering trivia questions with Reeg! ("C'est mon dernier response.") Yeah, that would be a knockout for hockey.

Okay, Mr. Bettman. I know, it probably ain't gonna happen. Mario is gonna be Mario. But, maybe it wouldn't hurt to have ol' George give a call to the Lemieux home. What's the worst thing that could happen? After all, Mario might need a new grill.

E.J. Hradek, an associate editor at ESPN The Magazine, appears regularly on NHL 2Night. E-mail ej.hradek@espnmag.com.