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Lemieux Confirms Comeback

December 7, 2000 / 12:07 PM EST / CBS/AP

Mario Lemieux was the first NHL player to become a team owner. Now, he's the first owner to become a player.

Lemieux, who made it look so easy during a 13-year career that saw him score points at a faster pace than any player ever, will attempt something exceedingly hard, even for one as skilled as he is.

The Pittsburgh Penguins' part owner is ending his retirement after 3 1/2 years - a span as long as the career of many players - to provide some leadership for a team largely devoid of it and to push Jaromir Jagr out of his scoring slump.

Lemieux made his comeback official Friday in a news release.

"I missed the game and missed the challenge of competing," Lemieux said. "I am excited by the challenge of attempting a comeback. I look forward to the chance to get back on the ice with the players."

There is another reason, too, why one of the greatest players ever is attempting a third remarkable comeback the first two followed a bout with cancer and a yearlong layoff caused by back pain and fatigue.

Lemieux, at age 35, thinks he could be the missing piece the Penguins need to win a third Stanley Cup, the one he never got in the five years after he led them to consecutive championships in 1991 and 1992.

"He said he believes in this team and he believes we can, with a little luck, do some things this year," said Jagr, a three-time scoring champion who has become increasingly discouraged with his lack of scoring. "He is pretty confident about this team and confident that he can help the team to go where all of us want to go."

Lemieux said he will make no further comment until after NHL commissioner Gary Bettman briefs the NHL Board of Governors on Monday.

The Penguins aren't saying how or when the comeback will start. He has been skating undetected at a private rink since November, but still hasn't hit anything harder than a sand wedge since the 1997 playoffs against Philadelphia.

He will likely start practicing after the Penguins play at Toronto and Detroit this weekend, and might bring in some former players to practice against in an effort to accelerate his return. If he rounds into playing shape quickly, he could resume playing when the Penguins begin a stretch of four home games in nine days later this month.

By the way, did anyone ask about attendance boost?

"I can't wait," forward Matthew Barnaby said. "It's like we traded for the best player in the world and didn't give up anything in return. We already had the best player (Jagr) in the game, and now we've got the best who ever played."

If only from a historical perspective, Lemieux's comebac is so off-the-scales that nothing else in sports compares. Never before in the modern era of pro sports had an ex-player become the chief owner; now an owner is vacating his private box to play again.

"This is a day in history. It's a total shock," defenseman Bob Boughner said. "I know I'm looking forward to being part of history in the making."

Lemieux's comeback also creates all new issues that were never dealt with in any collective bargaining agreement or league bylaws. Lemieux can no longer sit on the NHL's Board of Governors, but he can remain an owner with a reduced role in day-to-day operations.

And how much does he pay himself? Lemieux once joked he could never afford his salary, but he must earn at least the league minimum. If he takes the roster spot of a more highly paid player, it reduces the team's average salary and the league's overall average.

The Board of Governors and the NHL Players Association both have questions about Lemieux's decision. However, given the huge boost in attendance and league-wide interest Lemieux will generate, neither is likely to block his path to the ice.

Bettman must be as happy as NBA commissioner David Stern was when Michael Jordan returned.

In Pittsburgh, the news dominated conversation, especially in the Penguins' locker room.

"I heard a scream from the back room," said Jagr, who replaced Lemieux as the Penguins' leader and hockey's dominant scorer. "They were saying on the radio that Mario might come back. I think a lot of guys are really happy. They're going to get to play with a legend."

Jagr learned of Lemieux's planned comeback 10 days ago, but didn't tell anyone. Neither did equipment manager Steve Latin after he was asked to order new sticks and skates.

If Lemieux can play at anywhere near his previous level - and many hockey historians consider the six-time NHL scoring champion to be the most gifted player ever he would instantly elevate the Penguins into prime contenders for the Stanley Cup.

Still, the question persists: Can the man whose very name translates into "The Best" in French be hockey's greatest player again, or at least a reasonable facsimile?

"I know one thing, he's not coming back to be a stiff. He's coming back to be the best," Jagr said.

However, Jagr warned Lemieux it is tougher than ever for scorers to locate open ice and operate with the puck. It was the clutching, grabbing and holding that less-talented players use to neutralize stars that helped drive Lemieux from the league in 1997.

"The league is tougher and tougher, the guys are getting bigger and stronger, it's not going to be easy and he knows that," Jagr said. "Every game is tough."