Fans angry at Lemieux...WHY?!?!?!?!?

[Rohit]

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsbu ... 83087.html

PENS fans lose respect for Mario due to feelings of being duped...

Are you kidding me. Forgive me if I sound closed minded, but thats completely freakin ridiculous. Are these people only happy when they are whining and complaining or something?

As far as I am concerned, I am thrilled with what Mario did. I think it shows the sacrifice he was willing to make for the greater good of the team and its fans. At the end of the day, he was the only one with enough information to know what was truly best for this team and OBVIOUSLY IT WORKED OUT.

Its like your dad telling you that he is selling your POS car even though you have no other means of transportation, and then getting angry at him when you found out he was lying to you and he really just bought you a brand new car instead. WTF

[icecats30]

personally i dont believe that mario never had any intentions to sell the team. i think he is only saying that now because he can say a deal is done. if the pens stayed without a new arena he would be losing millions and millions of his own dollars every single year. i dont think he would have done that for very long.

[Sabres_Fan]

KILL WHITEY!!!

[Sabres_Fan]

I think Hossa saw thru Marios's BS and thats why he signed elsewhere.

[Hawkeynut]

Some people have to realize that in order to "beat" a politician you have to be a politician.

I could careless if he lied, begged or stole...

[purelebo84]

I think Hossa saw thru Marios's BS and thats why he signed elsewhere.

Mario is such a d-bag, yeah!

The audacity he had to save the franchise essentially three times, all while battling health issues, even cancer.

The nerve!

Using a useful negotiating tactic was really rude of him. Jerk.

[Hawkeynut]

Maybe he isn't in the best shape of his life! *sarcasm*

[Three Stars]

Unfortunately, you can't stop people from being stupid and conveniently short sighted.

You'll notice that nobody is so disturbed by the process or the result that they're "never supporting this team again!!!", which is the usual whine. I guess that's because this gives people exactly what they want: the team is staying, and they get to bash Mario.

[newarenanow]

Some people have to realize that in order to "beat" a politician you have to be a politician.

I could careless if he lied, begged or stole...

Exactly. People do it in the business world everyday. I'm sure the people they interviewed have no experience in this.

[littlemoonboot]

He saves a team, wins some Cups, and keeps the team in a city with a new arena....can't they just let him get away with a few free chicken dinners here and there?

[Mongoose87]

Mario Lemieux saved the franchise three times. He could walk out before the open faceoff and crap on center ice, and he'd still be a Pittsburgh Saint.

[DelPen]

Mario lied...oh crap, I can't think of a clever way to rhyme "The Pens are here for 30 more years" to lied

[Kicksave]

Meh.

Where were these typical yinzer a-holes at when the Rooney's raked the city over the coals for Heinz Field and PNC Park - two relatively useless venues for the city other than their respective sport teams?

[Pitts]

The "fans" they quoted are not true hockey fans. I bet they are the ones who "disappear" and bad mouth hockey when the team isn't winning.

[Ulffy]

I am a die-hard Pens fan. However... I am pissed at Mario. What he was doing wasn't so much in the interest of hockey fans as much as his own wallet. He manipulated us fans ("save the pens!") and deceived the public into thinking that the penguins were going to leave so that the state and local government (more indirectly) are paying serious money for the stadium, and we are stuck with a casino that may or may not be built.

Our lobbying apparently did not save the penguins. It got him a sweeter deal. Pittsburgh is now likely to have a casino on the North shore, which will lead to more crime, prostitution, and gambling problems. We could have used that money for other stuff, including fixing our dilapidated bridges or what have you. I'm not saying the state and local government shouldn't have chipped in at all, but when we need to have a casino, we're doing something wrong. For those of us living in the city, things are going to be a little different.

[Jake]

I am a die-hard Pens fan. However... I am pissed at Mario. What he was doing wasn't so much in the interest of hockey fans as much as his own wallet. He manipulated us fans ("save the pens!") and deceived the public into thinking that the penguins were going to leave so that the state and local government (more indirectly) are paying serious money for the stadium, and we are stuck with a casino that may or may not be built.

Our lobbying apparently did not save the penguins. It got him a sweeter deal. Pittsburgh is now likely to have a casino on the North shore, which will lead to more crime, prostitution, and gambling problems. We could have used that money for other stuff, including fixing our dilapidated bridges or what have you. I'm not saying the state and local government shouldn't have chipped in at all, but when we need to have a casino, we're doing something wrong. For those of us living in the city, things are going to be a little different.

You have de-railed.

Lemieux has given more to the franchise, city and fanbase than any other sports figure has ever given in the history of sports.

[Kicksave]

I am a die-hard Pens fan. However... I am pissed at Mario. What he was doing wasn't so much in the interest of hockey fans as much as his own wallet. He manipulated us fans ("save the pens!") and deceived the public into thinking that the penguins were going to leave so that the state and local government (more indirectly) are paying serious money for the stadium, and we are stuck with a casino that may or may not be built.

He doesn't owe the fans anything, in all seriousness. He has every right to get every penny he can out of this team. That was the entire plan when he took the team out of bankruptcy in the first place. For you to think otherwise is naive on your part. The fact of the matter is he got paid and kept the team here - a win/win for everybody. Plus, it's not like he's some ******* who will flee the city since his playing days are over (Bettis). He's raising his family here. He's donated millions of dollars in this city. At least he's a quality individual and not a scumbag like a lot of the other athletes this city worships.

Our lobbying apparently did not save the penguins. It got him a sweeter deal. Pittsburgh is now likely to have a casino on the North shore, which will lead to more crime, prostitution, and gambling problems. We could have used that money for other stuff, including fixing our dilapidated bridges or what have you. I'm not saying the state and local government shouldn't have chipped in at all, but when we need to have a casino, we're doing something wrong. For those of us living in the city, things are going to be a little different.

In a perfect world, majority rules in politics. Although we had some good rallies and made some noise, we were clearly not the majority of this city. The only thing we could have done was sell out the current building - which we did. Had the arena been half empty through this process, they wouldn't have been able to get this new arena built.

As far as the casino, it isn't going to have the effect you think. That casino is going to be filled with a bunch of blue hairs pumping their social security checks into the one-armed bandits. To think that we're going to see an increase in crime and prostitution BECAUSE of the casino is crap. There might be an increase because you're going to see an increase in people. Also, I'm pretty sure the city is making money on the casino being built, not losing it. The person who owns it is going to be spending the money to build it.

Plus, it was going to happen regardless, so tying these two situations together is a moot point.

[Rohit]

I am a die-hard Pens fan. However... I am pissed at Mario. What he was doing wasn't so much in the interest of hockey fans as much as his own wallet. He manipulated us fans ("save the pens!") and deceived the public into thinking that the penguins were going to leave so that the state and local government (more indirectly) are paying serious money for the stadium, and we are stuck with a casino that may or may not be built.

Our lobbying apparently did not save the penguins. It got him a sweeter deal. Pittsburgh is now likely to have a casino on the North shore, which will lead to more crime, prostitution, and gambling problems. We could have used that money for other stuff, including fixing our dilapidated bridges or what have you. I'm not saying the state and local government shouldn't have chipped in at all, but when we need to have a casino, we're doing something wrong. For those of us living in the city, things are going to be a little different.

youre right, its going to suck having an even nicer arena. what a jerk

[JoseCuervo]

I'm not pissed off at Mario because the team ended up staying.

Anyone who believes he didn't think about selling this team and wasn't about to needs to open their eyes and stop seeing Mario as a god. He's done a lot for the team, but he definitely would have sold them.

He didn't, so who cares. Pens stay anyway. Whether his intentions to sell were true or not, the meetings and buyers eventually worked in the Pens favor.

[Pitts]

I am a die-hard Pens fan. However... I am pissed at Mario. What he was doing wasn't so much in the interest of hockey fans as much as his own wallet. He manipulated us fans ("save the pens!") and deceived the public into thinking that the penguins were going to leave so that the state and local government (more indirectly) are paying serious money for the stadium, and we are stuck with a casino that may or may not be built.

Our lobbying apparently did not save the penguins. It got him a sweeter deal. Pittsburgh is now likely to have a casino on the North shore, which will lead to more crime, prostitution, and gambling problems. We could have used that money for other stuff, including fixing our dilapidated bridges or what have you. I'm not saying the state and local government shouldn't have chipped in at all, but when we need to have a casino, we're doing something wrong. For those of us living in the city, things are going to be a little different.

You are way off base. The casino was coming regardless of the arena. They are/were two completely separate issues. The Pens simply partnered with a casino company in the hopes of making a "cheaper" deal for the Pennsylvania taxpayers. Please get your facts straight.

[entropyfitch]

BOTTOM LINE: The Penguins Are Staying!

Who Cares What He Did? Lets not get all high and mighty and pretend that we havent done something misleading to get what we want.

the man should be praised.

Furthermore, he never had to give up the information that he never had any intention of moving the team. He did this for all of us.

stop complaining.

[icecats30]

isnt what mario did like when your ten years old and all you want for xmas is a bike so you beg and beg for a bike and your parents say no we cant afford that sorry, and then on xmas morning you get the bike? who cares if mario lied, if he actually did, it got the job done.

[cheesesteakwithegg]

We are about to have the nicest building in the league, the Pens are here to stay for at least 30 years, and this is all because of Mario. Not to mention the other 2 times he saved the franchise. So by my count, that is 3 times he saved the Penguins.

All this being said, anyone who criticizes Mario is an idiot, plain and simple.

[kovyman1127]

This is why I said all along when fans were "crying" that they were gone...that if you have ever been in sales as I have....that this was a negotiating tactic.

It's just business....

[farnham16]

MARIO MARIO!!