Mario Lemieux Group Reportedly 'Very Interested' in Buying Penguins Amid NHL Rumors

Hockey Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux is part of a group that is reportedly looking to buy back the Pittsburgh Penguins from Fenway Sports Group.

According to Josh Yohe of The Athletic, a group led by former Penguins owners Lemieux and Ron Burkle, as well as former Penguins CEO David Morehouse is "very interested" in purchasing the Penguins after selling the franchise to Fenway Sports Group at a valuation of $900 million back in 2021.

Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reported last month that Lemieux, Burkle and Morehouse were "investigating the possibility" of purchasing the Penguins.

LeBrun added at the time that Fenway Sports Group was looking to sell a "partial share" of the franchise, but it remains unclear if the group is open to selling the team in its entirety.

Lemieux has remained on as a minority owner since the sale to Fenway Sports Group, which also owns Major League Baseball's Boston Red Sox and the English Premier League's Liverpool FC.

The 59-year-old Lemieux is best known for his legendary playing career, which was spent in its entirety with the Penguins.

In 17 seasons played from 1984 to 2006, Lemieux registered 690 goals and 1,033 assists for 1,723 points over 915 games. He ranks 11th in NHL history in goals, 13th in assists, eighth in points and second in points per game with 1.88, second only to Wayne Gretzky's 1.92.

Lemieux was also a 12-time All-Star, six-time Art Ross Trophy winner as the league's leading point scorer, three-time Hart Memorial Trophy winner as NHL MVP and two-time Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP.

"Super Mario" won two Stanley Cups as a player and added another three in an ownership role.

After retiring, Lemieux purchased the Penguins in 1999, saving them from bankruptcy. However, he would return to play five more NHL seasons from 2000 to 2006.

Lemieux was at the helm when the Penguins drafted Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby in back-to-back years, which turned the franchise around and led to Stanley Cup wins in 2009, 2016 and 2017.

Since Fenway Sports Group officially purchased the Penguins in December 2021, the organization has experienced limited on-ice success.

Pittsburgh reached the playoffs during the 2021-22 season, but fell in the first round. Since then, the Penguins have gone three consecutive seasons without a playoff appearance.

Malkin is about to enter the final years of his contract in 2025-26 and Crosby has only two years left on his deal, meaning both could be on the verge of retiring or perhaps even playing elsewhere in the near future.

That means the Penguins are very much set to enter a transition period and a potential rebuild, which could represent an attractive opportunity for Fenway Sports Group to step aside and allow Lemieux, Burkle and Morehouse to guide the organization into the future.