Lemieux jersey sells for $800 to $900, an autographed photo for about $250.

During 17 NHL seasons, Mario Lemieux was a big draw, a guy whose presence in the lineup boosted ticket sales.

A wander around the International Centre in Mississauga Sunday showed that his star power hasn't waned. More than 400 people paid up to $999 to get pictures, jerseys, books, pucks and hockey cards autographed by the man dubbed "Super Mario" and "Mario the Magnificent" during a spectacular career with the Pittsburgh Penguins, the team he now owns.

"This is essentially the backstage pass for people to see Mario Lemieux," said Al Sinclair, organizer of the Sportcard and Memorabilia Expo, a twice-yearly trade show deemed a can't-miss event by those selling the accoutrement of the game that is our national obsession. "For lots of people, that's priceless."

Actually, in this big business, everything has a price. The VIP package, which had about 40 takers at $999, included a photo with the man plus a picture of him from his playing days, one of three replica jerseys, a copy of Mario Lemieux Over Time and front-of-the-line access to get them all signed before the main session.

Worth the price? "Oh, definitely," said Pat McAdam, 43. "Just to get access to him is amazing. You won't see him at the neighbourhood Wendy's grabbing a hamburger."

And therein lies much of the appeal. Lemieux, a Hockey Hall of Famer who retired for the second and last time in 2006, is not a regular at these events. Organizers billed it as his first show in Canada and something he'd done only once before, in Chicago, years ago.

Lemieux, who was said to be too tight for time to talk to a reporter after about two hours of signing, was paid by the autograph. While some with knowledge of how this business works said he might fetch six figures for the appearance, Andrew Goldfarb of A.J. Sportsworld in Vaughan, who sells memorabilia and cards in addition to arranging up to 70 such appearances a year, refused to talk numbers.

But he also wouldn't apologize for his prices, which included $179 for an autograph on each regular item such as a photograph, or $299 on a premium item such as a jersey.

"Think of it as the cost of a ticket to go to one Leafs game," Goldfarb said with a laugh as folks in line nodded in agreement. "And for it, you get to meet a legend."

Not to mention market value. Goldfarb said a signed Lemieux jersey sells for $800 to $900, an autographed photo for about $250.

Though for most, who waited in line for up to two hours, the signing was genuinely about getting the autograph of a hockey idol, just as it was in simpler times when their fathers and grandfathers hung out outside arenas to await players.

"He's one of my heroes," said Brian Hartman, 24, a Pittsburgh area resident. "I couldn't get him near home."