Murray Wood: Who's hot... and who's not
Every Friday, Murray Wood takes a look back at the week's news and decides who's hot... and who's not. This week's list ...
Mario Lemieux may prefer to fly under the radar at this stage of his career, but the owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins is not getting the credit he deserves for the team’s 2016 and 2017 Stanley Cup championships.
Not many star players have had success in ownership, in the same sport they’ve starred in. Lemieux is the exception.
Without Lemieux the Penguins don’t win the 1991 and 1992 Stanley Cup championships, it’s that simple.
However, Lemieux’s single biggest contribution to this franchise may have come in 2005-06, when he decided to play for one more year to work with Sidney Crosby.
Crosby went on to have a 100 point season that year. Crosby took the torch and helped the Pens win Stanley Cups in 2009, 2016 and 2017.
While Crosby was paving his way to a great career, Lemieux was paving the way through ownership to ensure the pieces were there to be a powerhouse. It’s paid off.
