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Mario Lemieux to retire
Pittsburgh Penguins star Mario Lemieux, one of the greatest players in NHL history, is calling it a career, a team official confirmed on Tuesday.
The Penguins have called a news conference for 2 p.m. ET.
The 40-year-old forward, who is also part owner of the Penguins, has been out of the Pittsburgh lineup for over a month with atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat that can be treated with medication.
Lemieux returned to practice two weeks ago – the first time he had been on skates since a Dec. 16 game against Buffalo – but didn't give a timetable for his return.
He recorded 22 points and was a minus-16 in 26 games this season.
Lemieux, inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1997, ranks seventh on the all-time NHL scoring list with 690 goals and 1,033 assists in 915 career games.
The first pick overall in the 1984 NHL draft, Lemieux led the Penguins to back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1991 and 1992.
In addition, he has six NHL scoring titles to his name, three league MVP trophies and two Conn Smythe Trophies as the MVP of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Lemieux also captained Team Canada to a gold medal at the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics and was a key figure at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, won by Canada over Finland.
On Dec. 10, 2005, the Montreal native withdrew his name from consideration for next month's Torino Games in Turin, Italy, citing health problems.
Lemieux overcame chronic back and hip injuries during 16-plus NHL seasons and even battled Hodgkin's disease.
He retired in 1997 and shocked the hockey world in December 2000 by returning to the ice for the Penguins.
Lemieux is the second Penguin in the last week to leave the game, following winger Zigmund Palffy, who retired due to a lingering shoulder injury.
Lemieux can now focus on the sale of the Penguins, which is in the preliminary stages.
He told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette within the last week that he's been approached by "a few groups" and has started negotiations with his partners.
For years, Lemieux has tried to secure a new facility for the Penguins, who play out of 45-year-old Mellon Arena.
A new owner would be bound by agreements Lemieux and his partners have struck, including a pledge to stay in Pittsburgh if a coalition assembled by the Penguins is awarded the licence to run a slots parlour.
Lemieux also plans to step down as team's chief executive officer, but he will remain chair of the board. Penguins president Ken Sawyer will take over as CEO.
