Mario Lemieux’s long, unusual relationship with the Penguins has officially changed again.
According to a report from Dejan Kovacevic of DK Pittsburgh Sports on Monday, Lemieux and Ron Burkle have sold their minority ownership shares in the franchise, ending any remaining ownership stake they had with the team. For Lemieux, it closes a chapter that stretched nearly 40 years and tied him to Pittsburgh in just about every possible way.
Lemieux’s connection to the organization began when he was drafted by the Penguins in 1984. That bond deepened in 1999, when he and Burkle bought the team to help save it from bankruptcy and relocation. Even after the Penguins were sold to Fenway Sports Group in December 2021, the two still held minority stakes.
That changed this summer when the Hoffmann Family of Companies officially bought the Penguins from FSG.
Geoff Hoffmann, the team’s governor, spoke warmly about Lemieux during the company’s introductory press conference on June 25, and at the time it sounded like the Hall of Fame center could still have a role with the organization if he wanted one. Hoffmann said, “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 things stand now, neither Lemieux nor the Hoffmann Family of Companies has commented on the sale of those shares.
On the ice, Lemieux remains one of the defining figures in franchise history. He is second only to Sidney Crosby in Penguins scoring with 690 goals and 1,723 points in 915 career NHL games.
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