<i>PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Penguins star and owner Mario Lemieux, one of hockey's greatest players, is retiring for the second time, a team official said Tuesday.

Lemieux, a Hall of Famer who won Stanley Cups and scoring titles and then battled through cancer and heart problems in a comeback, will announce his decision at a news conference later Tuesday.

The team official requested anonymity because a formal announcement had not been made.

Lemieux's retirement was first reported on the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Web site.

The 40-year-old Lemieux learned in early December he has atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat that can cause his pulse to flutter wildly and must be controlled by medication.

Lemieux, the NHL's seventh-leading career scorer with 1,723 points, tried to return a week after being hospitalized with the problem, but it flared up again during a Dec. 16 game against Buffalo and he has not played since.

Lemieux has been practicing the last several weeks with the intent on returning this season but, with the Penguins stuck in a 10-game losing streak and with no hope of them making the playoffs, decided to quit playing for a second time.

He also retired after the 1996-97 season following years of back problems and a 1993 cancer scare in which he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease, but he returned midway through the 2000-01 season and has played since.

However, he has again fought through injuries -- including two major hip problems -- that caused him to miss most of the 2001-02 and 2003-04 seasons. He had seven goals and 15 assists in 26 games this season.

Lemieux, a first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee in 1997, led the Penguins -- the NHL's worst team before he was drafted in 1984 -- to successive Stanley Cup championships in 1991 and 1992. He won six NHL scoring titles, three MVP awards and two Conn Smythe awards as the Stanley Cup playoffs MVP.

Lemieux, who wore No. 66 throughout his career, scored 690 goals and had 1,033 assists in 915 career games. He also became the first major pro sports star to buy the team for which he played, assembling a group that bought the team in federal bankruptcy court in 1999.

Lemieux's group has owned the team since but announced last week it is selling -- a possible prelude to the team leaving Pittsburgh in June 2007. The team has partnered with a casino company that is promising to build the Penguins a new $290 million arena if it obtains a slot machine parlor license for downtown Pittsburgh, but there appears to be little hope the team will stay if there is no new arena.

One reason Lemieux is selling is because he doesn't want to be the owner who relocates the team from Pittsburgh.

After his stunning return in December 2000, which surprised even his close friends, Lemieux helped the Penguins to the Eastern Conference final that season but the team has not made the playoffs since.</i>

Yeah, makes sense i guess.

I kinda wish I could have watched him play again, but he's pretty much a shell of what he was by now.

I'm wondering if he'll sell the Penguins. I think he threatened to unless someone ponied up money to build a new arena somewhere in Pittsburgh.

Well I think it was the right move for him. It's not like he has anything else to prove.

And that way it'll probably be easier for him to focus on selling his team.

I kinda wish I could have watched him play again, but he's pretty much a shell of what he was by now.

yup.

I'm wondering if he'll sell the Penguins. I think he threatened to unless someone ponied up money to build a new arena somewhere in Pittsburgh.

The team IS for sale at the moment. Mario wishes to sell it to a group interested in keeping them in Pittsburgh, given that that new arena/casino project goes through.

He simply doesn't want to be the guy who moves them out of Pittsburgh.

He simply doesn't want to be the guy who moves them out of Pittsburgh.

Unless he finds a suitable investor soon, he just might be.

I'm making it a point to give everyone in this thread more reputation.

too bad he couldn't get 700.

this is going to be depressing when the seattle penguins win the cup in a couple years

Well, let's hope Winnipeg gets it's shit together and can buy the team. It's very unlikely, but it'd be pretty funny for the league's poster boy for the next 15 years to be playing in Winnipeg, hahaa.

I would have like to see him play. :(

If hockey teams keep moving nobody is going to give a shit about the sport anymore

I'd agree but if a team is moved to Canada I think it would be alright. Them Canadians are crazy.

i got both a topps and an opeechee rookie card for mario. he was by far my favorite player growing up. even to the point that i got one of those stupid jofa helmets when he did :dammit:

i loved kirk muller and scott stevens :(

It's a sad day for hockey but the right move for Mario. I'd rather see him retired than dead. What a miserable way to end it though. I wonder who they'll name captain.

too bad he couldn't get 700.


i felt the same about messier, retiring six goals shy.

he was also seven games short of the most games played ever in the nhl, a distinction i'm kind of glad he gets to go without since some might view it as cheapening his status as the second leading scorer of all-time.

If hockey teams keep moving nobody is going to give a shit about the sport anymore


Correction, no americans will give a shit about the sport anymore.

and no team has moved since 1996 anyway.







I'd keep giving out reputation to people in this thread, but i'm all out for now. Come back tomorrow.

im gonna miss seeing him in action. i always enjoyed watching him play. I'll probably still be a pens fan even if the team gets moved.

Correction, no americans will give a shit about the sport anymore.

and no team has moved since 1996 anyway.







I'd keep giving out reputation to people in this thread, but i'm all out for now. Come back tomorrow.but the teams are moving to america...

I wonder who they'll name captain.


It's a good question. The obvious answer would be Rechi, but apparently he's playing like crap and doesn't seem to want to be there. Crosby? Can you imagine an 18 year old rookie captain? I certainly hope they don't go there....

They must have some other semi-reliable veteren on the team... somewhere....




There's a rumour going around that the pens will trade Tarnstrom to the Oilers soon....

but the teams are moving to america...


yeah, but the Pens aren't a Canadian team, and there's a slight chance they'll actually move back to Canada.


And most (if not all) of the teams in danger of moving in the next 10 years are American based teams.

I liked the way he went out the first time, that game against Philly and all...too bad this is not the "going out on top" type of retirement, but he was one of the greatest ever, so it will be sad to see him go.

i got both a topps and an opeechee rookie card for mario. he was by far my favorite player growing up. even to the point that i got one of those stupid jofa helmets when he did :dammit:

I had the mark messier cooper :erm

Heh, my helmet is sufficently oldschool enough that i don't really wanna get a new one even though it's rather uncomfortable and really nothing special.

I thought he'd retired 5 or 6 times already..?

I thought he'd retired 5 or 6 times already..?

only twice

When he suffered from Hodkin's disease, he never retired, just took some time off.

watch this video:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3709358974845487567&q=Alex+Ovechkin

you won't even be able to pretend not to be impressed.

watch this video:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3709358974845487567&q=Alex+Ovechkin

you won't even be able to pretend not to be impressed.

Is this his goal scored while rolling on his back ? (I can't watch it from work)

If it is, that goal's been shown everywhere for the past week and a half.

Is this his goal scored while rolling on his back ? (I can't watch it from work)

If it is, that goal's been shown everywhere for the past week and a half.

it's a huge montage. i had no idea that 3/4 of his goals were hilight reel worthy.

it's a huge montage. i had no idea that 3/4 of his goals were hilight reel worthy.

The guy drives to the net like very few players have done it. He is MVP material, how many rookies have been MVP material since Selanne arrived in the league ?

Only about half those clips actually result in goals, but even then, the moves he pulls off to get in scoring position are astounding.

You gotta wonder, a year ago a team of Canadian junior players all his age shut him down completely and drove him out of the game by physically intimidating him, and now a year later, he's running over (literally and figurativly) players much bigger and more experienced than he. One year makes a hell of a difference eh?

I just realized he leaves his feet in almost all those hits in that clip. I wonder how many times he's been called for charging?

The guy drives to the net like very few players have done it. He is MVP material, how many rookies have been MVP material since Selanne arrived in the league ?

I don't know about MVP, he's on a team that will finish pretty far out of the playoff race probably. He's certainly valuable to the team, but as long as the team doesn't actually accomplish anything.... there are more deserving players.


Like Kipprusoff (bastard) for example.

I don't know about MVP, he's on a team that will finish pretty far out of the playoff race probably. He's certainly valuable to the team, but as long as the team doesn't actually accomplish anything.... there are more deserving players.


Like Kipprusoff (bastard) for example.

I don't think there has been any individuals having a greater impact on his team this year than Ovechkin, it's true that usually the team would have to go somewhere thanks to that player, but in his case, Washington should be dead last.

I don't have numbers accessible right now, but I believe he's participated to about 40%-50% of his team's goals.

I don't think there has been any individuals having a greater impact on his team this year than Ovechkin, it's true that usually the team would have to go somewhere thanks to that player, but in his case, Washington should be dead last.

i'm not sold. capitals are only out of last place by four wins. i know that lunqvist has won twice as many games as that for the rangers at least.

I can't remember the last time there was a player who consistently beat nhl defenders, either by deking them or simply skating around them, the way Ovechkin can. Jagr's always been the best down low one one one, but full stride on the rush Ovechkin is the best player in the league.

i'm not sold. capitals are only out of last place by four wins. i know that lunqvist has won twice as many games as that for the rangers at least.

I hope you're not saying that Lundqvist has been more valuable for the Rangers as Ovechkin has been for the Caps. As awesome as Lundqvist's play has been, I don't think there's a contest there.

lol. The guy who was in charge of security for the US team at the world juniors was just at my house and he said that team US and team Finland were both really nice but the kids in Team Canada were a bunch of bastards. Just thought I'd through that out there.

Man, i've seen that clip of Mario vs the North Stars about 80 times today. Perhaps I watch too many sports highlights.

I hope you're not saying that Lundqvist has been more valuable for the Rangers as Ovechkin has been for the Caps. As awesome as Lundqvist's play has been, I don't think there's a contest there.

what i said didn't make much sense, but still.

ovechkin's play being the most valuable doesn't fly with me. teams that aren't playoff teams often ditch their most valuable players in exchange for prospects and draft choices. now that vetern could have a ovechkin-calibre season, but since that team is not playoff-bound they are not valuable to the team any more. so in a sense, for the remainder of this season, ovechkin has no value to his team aside from helping them get a worse draft pick.

and i don't think the rangers would be a playoff team without lundqvist. weekes is 8-8, while lundqvist is 20-6 or so.

, but since that team is not playoff-bound they are not valuable to the team any more. so in a sense, for the remainder of this season, ovechkin has no value to his team aside from helping them get a worse draft pick.


Agreed. Ovetchkin has helped Washington go from being the worst team in the league to the 5th worst team in the league. That's all the value he's providing right now, and it's not really helping them in any meaningful way.

all this mvp talk holds no bearing on the calder race, though. the calder simply goes to the rookie that is the most proficient at his position. after facing 1000 shots, lundqvist is the third best goaltender in the league. can it be argued that ovechkin is the third best left winger in the league? perhaps.

this is going to be pretty cool when the winnipeg penguins win the cup in a couple years


i fixed that for you.

i got both a topps and an opeechee rookie card for mario. he was by far my favorite player growing up. even to the point that i got one of those stupid jofa helmets when he did :dammit:
you should be glad he's retiring then. if he kept playing he'd just be devaluing your cards with his shitty play. as if his legacy hasn't been smeared enough though.

i loved kirk muller and scott stevens :(
i get to regularly watch Kirk Muller's beautiful head of hair coach my university's hockey team. too bad they suck shit. their first-line center was one of my classmates.

you should be glad he's retiring then. if he kept playing he'd just be devaluing your cards with his shitty play. as if his legacy hasn't been smeared enough though.


his opc rookie has already dropped to $200 from $400.

i have one professionally graded 9 Mint by beckett.

it's a huge montage. i had no idea that 3/4 of his goals were hilight reel worthy.
considering the team he's playing on, they pretty much have to be.

I just realized he leaves his feet in almost all those hits in that clip. I wonder how many times he's been called for charging?
it's not like he's jumping into guys when he hits. usually it's just one of his feet and its a result of the hit, not a precursor to the hit. remember that he's still a pretty light guy and a lot of his hitting strength comes from speed and hitting guys when they're caught low with their head down. his means he's got a lot of momentum that'll push him upwards.

it's not like he's jumping into guys when he hits. usually it's just one of his feet and its a result of the hit, not a precursor to the hit. remember that he's still a pretty light guy and a lot of his hitting strength comes from speed and hitting guys when they're caught low with their head down. his means he's got a lot of momentum that'll push him upwards.


Yeah, i dunno, that clip was too grainy to see properly, but he sure goes "overtop" of the guys he hits alot, which generally a sign that a player is leaving his feet, especially if he's smaller/lighter than his victim.

I just remember some big hit he had back in november or something on some Devils player (colin white maybe?) where all the commentators and talking heads were raving about it, and he clearly left his feet and threw himself in the air.

Raffi Torres does it alot too i've noticed, though he's slumping now so he doesn't hit too often anymore.

Looks like Crosby and Ovetchkin are going head to head again tonight, I wish it was on TV somewhere......