Well, I am heading off the P.E.I shortly for my wife's XMas party. Thought it would be nice to ask the question on how in God's name Mario saved hockey in Pittsburgh before I hit the highway.
People say he was drafted by them and put butts in the seats, he bought the team, he kept the team there etc........and I say BS.
People seem to forget when the Penguins called his name as the first overall draft pick, he did not shake general manager Eddie Johnston's hand or don the Penguins jersey, as is NHL tradition. He claimed he was upset about the contract negotiation, and said that "Pittsburgh doesn't want him bad enough." Lemieux's actions upset many fans and led to accusations of arrogance. Yeah, the great guy that saved the day.
Then he stepped in and "saved" the Pens from bankruptcy. Well, they owed him so much money in deferred salary that it was ipso facto his way of recovering what they owed. Kind of like when you owe the mob money and can't pay so they take your store.
2007-12-15
01:27:59
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12 answers
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asked by
Bob Loblaw
7
in
Hockey