Pittsburgh Penguins' legend cuts formal ties with the organization for the first time in nearly 40 years.
Mario Lemieux and the Pittsburgh Penguins have been synonymous and connected since he was drafted by the franchise in 1984, and his relationship with the team expanded when he and billionaire investor Ron Burkle purchased the team back in 1999 to save it from bankruptcy and relocation. Even when the team was sold to Fenway Sports Group (FSG) in December of 2021, Lemieux and Burkle still held a minority stake in the franchise.
The team was sold again this summer, when the Hoffmann Family of Companies officially purchased the Penguins from FSG. After Geoff Hoffmann, governor of the team, spoke highly of Lemieux during the company's introductory press conference on Jun. 25, it seemed like Lemieux could still be involved with the team.
However, according to several reports, things have changed.
First reported by Dejan Kovacevic of DK Pittsburgh Sports on Monday, both Lemieux and Burkle have sold their minority shares in the Penguins, meaning they no longer hold any ownership stakes in the franchise.
This will mark the first time Lemieux will have no ties to the Penguins in almost 40 years.
As of now, neither Lemieux nor the Hoffmann Family of Companies have been reached for comment. However, based on what Geoff Hoffmann said about Lemieux in June, the door is still open for Lemieux to be as involved as he wishes to be.
"I’m really hopeful that he'll be a part of this in whatever way, shape or form makes sense for him," Hoffmann said. "We’d love for him to be part of it. We know what he means to the Penguins, what he means to the city and what he means to the NHL. Everybody would embrace him with open arms.”
As a player, Lemieux is second only to Sidney Crosby all-time in franchise scoring with 690 goals and 1,723 points in only 915 career NHL games.
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