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Lemieux to end his retirement

Legend jolts Penguins, NHL with plan to become player-owner.

Compiled from Times wires

© St. Petersburg Times, published December 8, 2000

PITTSBURGH -- When Mario Lemieux was asked if he would ever play hockey again, the answer always came quickly.

[AP photo] Mario Lemieux's comeback will become official today but players learned of it Thursday.

Why?

He won two Stanley Cups, three MVP awards and six scoring championships; made stirring comebacks from cancer and back surgery; and bought the team he once played for -- all by age 33.

However, several weeks ago, apparently at his initiative and without intervention by anyone inside the Penguins organization -- including Jaromir Jagr -- Lemieux had a different question to the question.

Why not?

Lemieux's comeback, which will become official today but became known to the players Thursday, should provide a jolt of excitement, confidence and energy to the Penguins.

On the ice, Lemieux saw a talented but mostly leaderless team, one with plenty of scorers but not enough drive and discipline. It was a team, he surmised, possibly a player away from winning the Stanley Cup.

That player was him.

There was an audible buzz at Penguins practice, where the players first heard the news as they listened to a classic rock radio station while dressing for practice.

"I heard a lot of screaming," Jagr said.

If he was in the ticket office, he would have heard phones ringing. The lines were jammed by fans wanting to buy tickets for the comeback, one that could occur in late December. The Penguins have a four-game homestand from Dec. 27-Jan. 5.

Pittsburgh visits Tampa Bay before then, Dec. 21, and returns to the Ice Palace on March 17.

Lemieux, 35, must relinquish his spot on the NHL's Board of Governors and probably will disassociate himself from most of the team's day-to-day business affairs, but he can remain as owner. The board must approve such an arrangement, but given the chance to sell tickets for Lemieux's comeback tour, it's doubtful any owner would seriously fight his return.

The players association has not weighed in on any potential conflict of interest involved in having an owner on the ice as a player.

The player most affected by Lemieux's return is Jagr, who has won three consecutive scoring titles since Lemieux finished his career by winning two straight in 1995-96 and 1996-97.

Suddenly, Lemieux is Jagr's teammate again, not just his boss, and Jagr might have to give back that "C" on his chest to the man who signs his paychecks.

"It's not a big problem who's going to be the captain," Jagr said. "He's been the man for so long, and will always be the man. Whatever he wants me to do, I'll do, I respect him so much."

There is no indication how much Lemieux will play, but it is almost certain he will displace Jan Hrdina as the center on Jagr's line. Jagr has slumped this season -- he isn't in the top 10 in scoring -- and Lemieux's return could be what Jagr needs to get back on his game.

Jagr learned of the comeback plans 10 days ago but apparently didn't tell his teammates. Some became suspicious when they saw skates and sticks bearing Lemieux's No. 66 arriving at the practice rink.

"All I know, if I was on another team, I'd be glad right now if we were done with Pittsburgh for the season," Penguins goalie Garth Snow said.

Lemieux's return also raises the possibility he could play in the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City.

He has played internationally for Canada, but it seems more likely he would play in 2002 for the United States, especially because Penguins general manager Craig Patrick and ex-Penguins coach Herb Brooks will lead that team.

Lemieux led the NHL in scoring six times. He retired with 613 goals and 1,494 points in 745 games. He was voted into the Hall of Fame the same year. After a court battle lasting more than a year, he successfully gained ownership control of the Penguins in September 1999.

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