Wealth & Money Quote by Mario Lemieux

Lemieux is selling belief with a ledger open in his lap. On paper, it reads like standard hockey optimism: build around Sidney Crosby, commit to winning, accept short-term pain. But the key tell is the money talk. Athletes rarely narrate the balance sheet unless they’re also stewards of an institution, and Lemieux was exactly that: a franchise savior who moved from superstar to owner-operator, trying to keep the Penguins not just competitive but solvent.

The line “prepared to lose some money along the way” is a deliberate flex of seriousness. It signals to fans and players that this isn’t a cosmetic rebuild; it’s an investment thesis. Lemieux frames losses as purposeful, almost moral: a necessary burn rate to assemble a contender and stabilize the brand. The repeated “great” isn’t eloquence, it’s insistence - the language of someone rallying a city that has heard promises before.

Then the pivot: “Eventually we’re going to need some help.” That’s the real message, and it’s aimed beyond the locker room. It’s a pressure valve for Pittsburgh’s public and private power brokers: sponsors, ticket buyers, potentially government, anyone who can sweeten arena deals or revenue streams. Lemieux is planting the idea that fandom isn’t just emotional; it’s economic participation. The subtext is equal parts hope and warning: Crosby can restore glory, but star power alone won’t keep a small-market team afloat without structural support. It’s civic romance, delivered like a business memo.