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Lemieux hints strongly at return
Mario Lemieux
The only thing he didn't say was that he's coming back for another season to play for the Penguins.
But that appears to be nothing more than a formality.
Lemieux plans to make an announcement about his status for next season by midweek. And judging by his comportment and comments yesterday morning at a Penguins alumni golf outing at Oglebay in Wheeling, W.Va., he's all but guaranteed to play at least one more season.
"If I feel 100 percent physically and mentally, I'd love to play," Lemieux said.
Asked if he's feeling close to 100 percent on both of those counts, he answered in the affirmative.
"Absolutely, yeah," Lemieux said. "After a couple months of rest, I recharged the battery and feel pretty good."
Lemieux, the all-time NHL leader in points per game who also doubles as the Penguins' owner, began an off-ice training program six weeks ago and plans to hit the ice the third week of August, which gives him three weeks of preparation before training camp.
Former Penguins defenseman Jay Caufield, who has conducted on-ice workouts with Lemieux since the latter came out of retirement in December 2000, said Lemieux appears to be fit and ready for the rigors of an NHL season.
"I'm preparing as if he's coming back," said Caufield, who trains a number of Penguins players at the Island Sports Center each August. "I know he's in shape and ready to play. But it's not something we've discussed. I just have the date set aside and I plan for him to be there."
Penguins fans have been in suspense about Lemieux's playing status since the end of last season. He was expected to make his decision early this month, but an announcement never came.
There remains a chance that he'll retire, though he gave the impression yesterday that he still has the drive to be one of the league's elite players.
"Workouts are a lot tougher now," Lemieux said. "Once you get to be 37, 38 years old, it's a different regimen and you have to work harder at it. But it's something I enjoy doing now. Earlier in my career, I didn't work out much, but now I feel it's important to work out year-round if you want to be one of the top players in the league."
If he chooses to return, Lemieux said he'd prefer to play in every game next season, as opposed to sitting out from time to time to give his body a rest. He also added that he's never entertained the thought of playing for any team other than the Penguins, who made him the first overall draft pick in 1984. Several published reports linked Lemieux to other franchises, including the New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens.
The Penguins have taken on a new form since the conclusion of last season, when they failed to reach the postseason for the second consecutive year. They fired coach Rick Kehoe, president Tom Rooney and Wilkes-Barre coach Glenn Patrick, the brother of Penguins general manager Craig Patrick.
Ed Olczyk replaced Kehoe, Ken Sawyer took over as president and Michel Therrien became the new coach at Wilkes-Barre, the team's minor-league affiliate.
"I think we're going in the right direction," Lemieux said. "I think these guys are doing a great job. I have a lot of confidence in Ken and Craig. They've been around for a long time. I'm pleased with the progress we've made the last few months."
Lemieux then gave his thoughts on a number of topics.
On Patrick's move to trade up for the first overall pick in the draft, which netted 18-year-old goalie Marc-Andre Fleury: "Every great team has to rebuild at some point and that's where we are right now. And the best way to do it was a great goalie and we were fortunate enough to get the first pick overall. He has all the potential to be a great goalie, so the franchise looks pretty good."
On Olczyk: "He's a great person. I think he'll be great with young kids. He has to get some experience the first year or two, but I think he'll be a great coach."
On the potential for a new arena: "I think we're making progress. It's a slow process and we get frustrated sometimes, but we have to understand that it's going to take some time."
On slot machine monies going toward a new venue: "It's a great idea."
On the possibility of keeping Martin Straka and his $4 million contract for next season: "Craig has his budget and we'll see what happens from there."
On the team's low payroll potentially being a blessing if a salary cap is put into effect prior to the 2004-05 season: "What you see now with Dallas and Washington trying to trade their cap players, we were thinking a little bit ahead. We're in position to come out of the (collective bargaining agreement) and have a good young team."
