Penguins Legend Has Competition in Buying Team

For a while now, a group led by Pittsburgh Penguins legend Mario Lemieux has been the presumed favorite to buy back the team from Fenway Sports Group (FSG) after selling in November of 2021.

However, another potential buyer has now emerged.

According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, the Chicago-based Hoffman family, which owns the ECHL's Florida Everblades, has emerged as a "serious contender" to buy the Penguins. He added that the potential sale could come in at around $1.75 billion, nearly double the $900 million FSG paid for the team in 2021.

Friedman cautioned that "no one should assume this is a done deal," but a second potential buyer entering the picture is a major development nonetheless. It would seemingly indicate that FSG has significant interest in selling the Penguins less than four years after buying, even if the group won't confirm it publicly.

“Fenway Sports Group continues to evaluate potential equity partners to support the long-term growth of the Pittsburgh Penguins," FSG said in a statement, per Pittsburgh Hockey Now. "While the process remains active, there is nothing to confirm or discuss at this time.”

David Hoffman, founder and chairman of the Hoffman Family Companies, bought the Everblades from former Carolina Hurricanes owner Peter Karmanos in 2019. At the time, Hoffman revealed that he had inquired about buying an NBA and NHL team.

"We've been looking to buy a professional sports team for probably three or four years," Hoffmann told the Naples Daily News in 2019. "We got close with an NBA team and we got close with an NHL team. I live in Naples, so I'm a resident. I went to a few Everblades games with my kids and grandkids. We got kind of jazzed up about it.

"It's fun and it's great long-term potential for Southwest Florida."

Now, it seems he's one step closer to making that dream a reality.

Friedman added that Geoff Hoffman, David's son and the company's co-CEO, would be involved in a potential purchase as well. Geoff and his wife Megan have four children, one of whom has been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. The couple created a youth hockey camp specifically for children with the condition, which is held at the Everblades' home arena in Estero, FL.

The Everblades won three-straight Kelly Cups from 2022-24 before falling in the Eastern Conference Final last season.