Bettman: No Penguins sale imminent

It has been a year since the Penguins ownership of Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle began to explore their options with the sale of the franchise, but NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said Monday that any prospective sale is not close to happening anytime soon.

“My understanding is there is no urgency or immediacy,” Bettman said at a news conference Monday in advance of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final between the Penguins and San Jose Sharks. “For a variety of reasons, they’re looking for options, but there is nothing pressing and there is no process in place to sell the club.”

Lemieux and Burkle went to the trouble of putting out a joint statement in January after a New York Post report quoted anonymous sources saying Lemieux and Burkle disagreed on a sale price believed to be in the $750 million range and to include the development rights for property adjacent to Consol Energy Center.

One issue with the sale could be NHL expansion. The NHL could decide to expand by one or two franchises later this month and Lemieux and Burkle likely want to see the price tag for those franchises before selling. At the June 22 NHL Board of Governors meeting, the league will decide one of three things — (1) there will be no expansion; (2) expansion will be deferred to a later time; or (3) expansion becomes a reality by one or two teams.

Bettman also hinted strongly the NHL will not participate in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, unless the International Olympic Committee and International Ice Hockey Federation pay for the league’s travel and insurance expenses, adding that “it’s many, many millions of dollars. If [the sides] are unable to resolve the expense issue . . . I’m pretty sure our teams are not paying for the privilege of interrupting our season.”