While no i’s have been dotted and no t’s have been crossed, it does appear that a sale of the Pittsburgh Penguins franchise may be imminent.
On Tuesday, news broke that current Penguins ownership, led by Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle, was in deep talks with Fenway Sports Group to complete a sale of the NHL franchise in Pittsburgh.
A day later, for the first time since the news broke, Penguins players and head coach Mike Sullivan — who apparently was as in-the-dark as the public about a possible sale of his employer — spoke with the media.
“I wasn’t aware of it until yesterday,” said Sullivan. “The way I look at it, I don’t think it changes anything we do from our standpoint.”
It has been reported that Lemieux and Burkle may remain on in a minority ownership role of some sort, if the sale is completed. But, from Sullivan’s comments, it seems that he is preparing for new bosses.
“I have so much respect for Ron and Mario and their leadership and what they provide for us from a resources standpoint to give us every opportunity to win,” Sullivan said. “So from my standpoint, it’s been a terrific experience working with those guys.”
The news, as it broke yesterday, also apparently spread through the Penguins’ locker room.
“It was told to us briefly that there may be a sale of the team,” forward Bryan Rust confirmed. “We were told that all things were going to be run the same. I don’t think there’s any, good or bad, feelings about it.”
The sale comes at an interesting time.
The Penguins have had nearly unparalleled success under Lemieux and Burkle.
The former star player and billionaire teamed up to save the franchise from bankruptcy in 1999. The two helped keep the team from moving by getting a new arena built, made massive philanthropical impacts in the region and, of course, won three Stanley Cups, all while harboring some of the game’s elite talents.
Of late, however, the organization has seen its share of issues.
A 633-game sellout streak was broken earlier this season, and attendance has noticeably dropped, with entire rows of seats left empty during Tuesday night’s 2-1 loss to Buffalo. COVID-19 is likely to blame for some of the attendance issues, but team performance possibly responsible, too.
The team has failed to win four consecutive playoff series despite lofty expectations in at least three of them.
In January, general manager Jim Rutherford abruptly quit. Lemieux and Burkle were recently named among the defendants in a civil lawsuit centering around a sexual assault by a former minor league coach of another coach's wife. That was settled privately.
Of late, COVID-19 has ripped through the team, leading to Sullivan, captain Sidney Crosby and several others having to miss time in quarantine.
Now, a possible sale of the team has provided another potential distraction for Sullivan and his players.
“Change is inevitable,” Sullivan said. “That’s the reality of the business, that’s what we signed up for. I’ve experienced it as a player, I’ve experienced it as a coach.
“What I’ve learned through the years is that you really can’t concern yourself with a lot of the noise or the minutia around the business of the game that really you have no control over. And that’s what I’ve tried to do and that’s what we’ve preached to our players.”