I heard some sad news on the radio a few days ago. Penguins’ legend Mario Lemieux may be… I heard some sad news on the radio a few days ago. Penguins’ legend Mario Lemieux may be hanging up his skates for good after this season. While it’s just a rumor – probably one that surfaces every year about a veteran player like Lemieux – this season it seems just a little more realistic. I think Lemieux should continue to play, not necessarily for himself, but for the team that needs him and the fans that love him.

I first became a hockey fan about a year before his comeback in December 2000. So while I didn’t witness most of Lemieux’s career, I still felt the same excitement that every other hockey fan felt the day the front page of the newspaper proclaimed, “Mario Returns.”

“That’s a keeper,” one of my teachers said, and he was right. It was a magical season – one that reminded Pittsburgh fans and all hockey fans alike that Lemieux was one of the best players ever to grace the ice.

However, it was a downward spiral for the Pens after reaching the Conference Finals in 2001. The trade of Jaromir Jagr, injuries, poor play – blame it on whatever you want – the Pens’ disappointed last year by failing to make the playoffs for the first time in 11 seasons. This season isn’t looking good, either. With only a month left and still more than a few points between them and a playoff spot, it’s mathematically possible but not probable that we’ll see the Pens in the postseason.

The team is not strong at all. Their forces have been depleted by key injuries and multiplayer trades. Mario has many reasons to consider retirement. He’s tired – he’s been sitting out of games more often. His injuries are unpredictable – he was out for the end of the regular season after the Olympics last year, was strong this fall, but out again this winter. He has very few resources – almost every strong player around him has been hurt or has left the team. He can barely afford to keep the players that are left around for much longer.

Mario always said he returned to hockey to bring the Stanley Cup back to Pittsburgh, but that’s no longer in the foreseeable future. With his goal out of reach, he may just decide it’s high time to duck out before it gets really ugly. Mario is a living legend, but even he knows he can’t do it alone.

I think for the Pens to be a success, in the NHL and as a hockey franchise in Pittsburgh, it is necessary that Mario play at least one more season.

Whether they end up in first or last place next year, his presence alone is what they need to build a foundation for success in future seasons. With only a few experienced players around – none a leader like Lemieux – the fresh talent that comes from trades, the draft, or the Wilkes-Barre Baby Penguins will need someone to look up to.

Sticking around will not only provide leadership, but also prove to his team and the fans that he won’t desert them when the going gets tough. Playing through will be a testament to the love for Pittsburgh and the love for hockey that we all know Lemieux has.

He may be a part of Penguins’ hockey indefinitely in the form of ownership, but what fans appreciate most is seeing him on the ice. Even if he is playing in fewer games because of his age or health, Lemieux can still put up league-leading numbers and sell out any arena in which he plays.

Most importantly, his amazing skill keeps fans from all over captivated, despite what team they usually support. Without him, we are left with a skeleton of a team that was once great and nothing left to be interested in. It may be years before they are on top again, and because the franchise is in financial trouble, that could be too late. If public interest falls, the last resort may be to move the Penguins out of Pittsburgh.

Lemieux presence won’t fix everything, but his departure definitely wouldn’t help. Last week’s game against Nashville was the first-ever Mario Lemieux Bobble Head night. Thousands of fans that adore the one they call “the best” arrived at Mellon Arena to see the man who brought hockey dreams alive in this city. I only hope it wasn’t one of the last times we get to see him wear the Penguins’ uniform.

E-mail Jen Giarrusso at [email protected].