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Elliotte Friedman Shares Major Update on Mario Lemieux's Potential Penguins Ownership Return
Photo credit: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Former Pittsburgh captain and Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux wants to be the majority owner of the Penguins again, and analyst Elliotte Friedman has the latest update.
Fans of the Pittsburgh Penguins are understandably excited over recent reports that former franchise savior Mario Lemieux, along with his business partner Ron Burkle, want to buy the majority of the franchise back from the Fenway Sports Group.
But based on the latest report from NHL analyst Elliotte Friedman, there is still a long way to go.
Per Friedman on his most recent '32 Thoughts' podcast, the offer that Lemieux and Burkle have presented is far below the number that the Fenway Sports Group would accept for the Penguins.
"I can understand why Penguins fans would be excited about the possibility of Lemieux. He's a god there. Everything he touches turns to gold, but everything I've heard about that is that they are well below what Fenway would want to be the number (to sell)." - Elliotte Friedman
A return of Lemieux could represent a change in fortune for the Penguins, who have now missed the postseason for the last 3 years in a row, the longest droughts in the NHL careers of both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.
The Fenway Sports Group purchased controlling interest of the Penguins in 2021
The Fenway Sports group, which also owns Major League Baseball's Boston Red Sox, Liverpool FC and RFK Racing in NASCAR, bought the controlling interest of the Penguins from Lemieux and Burkle in 2021 for $900 million.
Per Forbes in December 2024, the Penguins were valued at $1.75 billion, which is still millions below the League average.
| POLL | ||
AOUT 4 | 79 ANSWERS Elliotte Friedman Shares Major Update on Mario Lemieux's Potential Penguins Ownership Return Should Mario Lemieux become the majority owner of the Penguins again? | ||
| Yes | 71 | 89.9 % |
| No | 8 | 10.1 % |
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