- New Penguins governor Geoff Hoffmann says Mario Lemieux would be welcomed back “with open arms”
- The Hoffmann Family of Companies closed on the team this week after a unanimous Board of Governors vote
- Read below for what Hoffmann said about Lemieux and the roughly $1.75 billion sale
The Penguins have new owners, and one of their first messages was about an old face.
Geoff Hoffmann, the team’s new governor, said Thursday that Mario Lemieux would be welcomed back “with open arms” under the Hoffmann Family of Companies.
The team made it official earlier in the day:
The Hoffmann family closed on controlling interest of the franchise this week. The NHL Board of Governors gave unanimous approval on Tuesday, and the sale landed at roughly $1.75 billion, per commissioner Gary Bettman. Fenway Sports Group bought the team for $900 million back in 2021.
Lemieux sold the Penguins to FSG alongside Ron Burkle in 2021. He kept a minority stake but has been around less in recent seasons.
Hoffmann was asked about Lemieux’s place under the new group.
“I’m really hopeful that he will be a part of this in whatever way, shape, form makes sense for him,” Hoffmann said. “But we would love for him to be a part of it.”
Hoffmann also made clear the purchase is about more than the money:
Nobody means more to the franchise. Lemieux won two Cups as a player in 1991 and 1992, then three more as an owner in 2009, 2016 and 2017. He still holds the team record with 690 goals and sits second in points behind Sidney Crosby.
He saved the team twice off the ice, too. Lemieux converted more than $32.5 million in deferred salary into equity to pull the Penguins out of bankruptcy in 1999. He then helped push through the 2007 arena deal that locked the team into Pittsburgh through 2040.
For the first time in years, the door looks open for Lemieux to step back into a bigger role.
