The rumors of some sort of chasm between the Penguins’ former owner and the team’s current ownership group may have some legs.
Appearing on the Fan Morning Show, former Penguins forward Tyler Kennedy said that Fenway Sports Group needs to mend fences with the franchise’s preeminent figure, Mario Lemieux.
“Well, you see how this year went with him not in the fold,” Kennedy said. “Obviously, Mario, he does everything right. He’s very well respected.
“When you’re a player and you see Mario Lemieux coming on the plane, or going to your game, it just puts a little more excitement, a little more pressure on you to play well in front of him.”
Until the Penguins announced the firing of general manager Ron Hextall and President of Hockey Operations Brian Burke last week, Fenway Sports Group had very much stayed in the background. Some even wondered if there were even representatives from the ownership group, which also oversees the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool FC, at Penguins’ games.
“I heard they had one of their guys there quite often,” Kennedy said. “But, to be honest, I never met him, I never saw him, so I don’t know.”
Lemieux, while not incredibly public when discussing team operations in his time as owner, has been a steady, visible figure during games since he arrived in Pittsburgh in 1984.
This year was different. Lemieux, who along with Ron Burkle sold the team to FSG in December 2021, was not nearly as present at team events. That despite the Hall of Famer retaining some stake in the ownership of the team.
Kennedy feels that Lemieux’s absence may have played a role in the Penguins’ 16-year playoff streak coming to an end, and that it would be best for Fenway Sports Group to involve the man responsible for five Stanley Cup victories in Pittsburgh.
“When you see what Mario has done around Pittsburgh, it’s asinine not to have him part of that group,” Kennedy said. “For what he’s done for the Penguins, for the city, it’s crazy to keep him away from the Penguins. He means too much.”
Hear all of Tyler Kennedy’s interview with the Fan Morning Show here.