Mario Lemieux-led ownership group is ‘very interested’ in buying back the Penguins, per report

Mario Lemieux can help resuscitate hockey at Pittsburgh once again. The legend of the Penguins and the temple of renown of hockey is part of a group which is “very interested” to buy the Penguins, according to The Athletic.

Athletics had recently reported that Lemieux, his former co -owner Ron Burkle, and former director general Dave Morehouse (who is currently adviser to Pittsburgh Steelers) was looking for the possibility of buying the Penguins of Fenway Sports Group (FSG), who acquired the team in 2021.

While FSG announced that it explores the addition of a minority investor, the Lemieux group would be under the study of its financial options to see if it regains control of the Penguins at a given time. The NHL commissioner, Gary Bettman, would have been informed of the group’s interest in joining the penguins as a property.

Penguins are currently evaluated between $ 1.47 billion and $ 1.75 billion. The group led by Lemieux hoped that FSG could be willing to consider a “reasonable” price given the recent struggles on Pittsburgh ice and down support for fans. Penguins only sold 91.4% of their available tickets last season, the lowest total in the Sidney Crosby era.

Lemieux, 59, is the most important figure in the history of the franchise. He led the penguins of the darkness relating to the consecutive titles of the Stanley Cup in 1991-92. Despite a year in his peak due to cancer and his retirement for the first time at 31 years, he was considered one of the greatest players of all time at the time of his first retreat.

Less than two years of retirement, Lemieux has acquired a controlling interest in the Penguins after the team declared bankruptcy and probably headed either to leave Pittsburgh or to comply completely. In 2000, Lemieux made the ice and helped lead the Penguins to a surprising race at the final of the Eastern Conference.

Before his return, Lemieux was inducted into the renowned hockey temple in 1997.

The final season of Lemieux in NHL as a player was the first season of Crosby with the Penguins. In 2009, Crosby helped to lead the Penguins to their first of the three victories of the Stanley Cup with Lemieux as a owner.

The Penguins have been mired in mediocrity since the Lemieux property team sold the franchise at FSG four years ago. Pittsburgh has not made the playoffs since 2022 after having qualified for the playoffs each year from 2007 to 22. The 80 points of the team last season were the least of the franchise for an 82 game season since 2005-06.