PITTSBURGH – If one wants to get a feel for Pittsburgh the night before Mario Lemieux's first game back from retirement Wednesday vs. Toronto, why not go to the bar that bears his name. Truth be told, "Mario's" has little to do with Lemieux – he has no ownership stake in the establishment – but it is a popular sports bar on the South Side of Pittsburgh.

And it was packed Tuesday night.

Guess what was more of a draw: One-dollar Coronas or the Pittsburgh at Buffalo game?

Although the game was on every television in the joint, the Corona deal couldn't be beat. But that's the whole point. The Lemieux story is huge in Pittsburgh – when he's directly involved.

The timing didn't help. It's the holiday season. The Steelers are out of the playoffs. And there isn't much going on in town. But most of all, Lemieux wasn't in the lineup Tuesday.

"The first story on the news is always about the Steelers," said John Lunz, 26, a Pittsburgh local, lab scientist and avid sports fan. "But when the Lemieux story broke, everyone dropped football. It takes a lot for hockey to come to the forefront, but Lemieux bounced the Steelers."

Pittsburgh is a football town. That's no surprise. But the Steelers are done for the season, and Tuesday night, when the Penguins were playing an exciting game against the Sabres – which the Pens came from behind to win 5-3 – the focus wasn't on the game. There were a few cheers when the Penguins scored, but for the most part, it was the beer and the social scene – and the $1 Coronas.

Yet, when any Lemieux image hit the television screen promoting Wednesday's game, it was more like an old EF Hutton commercial: People listened, and even offered a fair amount of applause.

"He's God, no doubt about it," said Josh Trust, 29, a University of Pittsburgh graduate now working for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in the circulation department.

There were exclusive Lemieux interviews on the local 11 o'clock news. And highlights of his best goals were shown all night. Jaromir Jagr might be a $10-million star, but he doesn't shine with the same luster as Lemieux.

Fans in Pittsburgh are just like fans in other major sports towns like Philadelphia, Boston and New York. They always pay attention, but tend to jump on board full force mainly when it's big time.

And Lemieux's comeback is exactly that. Big time.

"We'll all be watching the magician at work," said Bob Porter, another faithful local. "People know how big a deal it is, and they'll be watching."

Then, Lemieux will outduel the dollar Corona special.

Brian A. Shactman covers the NHL for ESPN.com.