Per the latest report from NHL analyst Pierre LeBrun, Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux could soon be coming back to the Pittsburgh Penguins in his former capacity as co-owner.
The Pittsburgh Penguins owe much of their existence to Mario Lemieux, who not only starred for them for years on the ice with a Hall of Fame career but were also saved from bankruptcy and almost certain relocation.
Lemieux and the team ownership group that also included Ron Burkle and David Morehouse decided to sell the team to the Fenway Sports Group, who also owns Major League Baseball's Boston Red Sox and Premier League's Liverpool.
But a new development has arisen that could see Lemieux once again become the principal owner of the club.
Per Pierre LeBrun, Lemieux along with Burkle and Morehouse are exploring the possibility of buying the team back from Fenway Sports Group.
Hearing from sources that the group of Ron Burkle, Mario Lemieux and David Morehouse are investigating the possibility of buying back the Penguins from Fenway Sports. Burkle and Lemieux sold the Penguins to Fenway in 2021. Fenway has been looking to sell a partial share. Will be interesting to see where this goes
The group, which is led by John Henry, is reportedly interested in selling at least a portion of the club they bought for $900 million in 2021. The team is now worth an estimated $1.75 billion based on the latest from Forbes franchise rankings.
The Penguins, who were originally bought by Lemieux out of bankruptcy in 1999, have won 5 Stanley Cups in their history in 1991, 1992, 2009, 2016, and 2017. They've also featured some of the top players in NHL history, from Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr to Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.