Penguins closing in on deal to increase minority owners
The Penguins appear to be close to adding a minority owner. And possibly a few more. Ventas Inc. CEO Debra Cafaro, a Western Pennsylvania native, is negotiating for a $25 million stake in the franchise and fronts a group of potential investors who could secure an even bigger piece of the team.
Regardless of precisely how any of that plays out, Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle will retain controlling interest in the club.
Team officials declined to comment on the Cafaro talks, and NHL approval would be needed for any agreement.
In 2015, Lemieux and Burkle made it known that they would explore options for the franchise, including selling it outright and adding some minority investors.
Bringing Cafaro, and possibly other limited partners, on board would mesh with the latter idea.
The company Cafaro runs, Ventas Inc., is a realestate investment trust.
Guentzel update
Jake Guentzel was a healthy scratch for the Penguins’ 6-2 victory against Dallas Thursday, and there’s no guarantee he’ll reclaim a spot in the lineup when they face Detroit tonight at 7:08 at PPG Paints Arena.
That doesn’t mean the coaching staff has soured on Guentzel, who has three goals and an assist in his first five NHL games.
“One of the hardest for a young player is just sustaining the level of intensity and the level of play, game-in and game-out,” coach Mike Sullivan said Friday. “We thought that in the last game Jake played [a 5-3 loss in Brooklyn Wednesday], he didn’t have quite the sustained performance that he’d shown in the first handful of games that he played.
“By no means are we discouraged by it. I think it’s just part of the process that young players go through. Just the opposite.
We’re ecstatic with what he’s brought to the table so far. We know he’s a very good player, and he’s only going to get better.”
Nonetheless, Guentzel will have to show that he’s worthy of holding on to a spot on the NHL roster.
“We have a very competitive roster,” Sullivan said. “I think that internal competition is a real healthy thing.
“I think that’s what helps players be at their best, because they’re competing for roles and roster spots and ice time.”
Big hole to fill
Pavel Datsyuk was known as “The Magic Man” during his days with Red Wings.
Well, he disappeared completely after last season, returning to his native Russia for personal reasons.
Tonight’s game will be the Penguins’ first regular-season meeting with Detroit since Datsyuk, 38, departed.
“He was a tremendous player, for years,” Penguins defenseman Kris Letang said. “But they have great guys in their system.”
None like Datsyuk, though. He played on Detroit’s Stanley Cup-winning teams in 2002 and 2008, and piled up 314 goals and 604 assists in 953 regular-season games.
Along the way, he picked up three Selke trophies as the NHL’s top defensive forward and two Lady Byngs for gentlemanly and effective play.
Datsyuk is now playing for St. Petersburg SKA, and has six goals and 15 assists in 24 games.
Old friends return
The Penguins will honor members of their Cup-winning teams in 1991 and 1992 in an on-ice ceremony before the game tonight.
No fewer than six Hall of Famers — Mario Lemieux, Paul Coffey, Bryan Trottier, Larry Murphy, Scotty Bowman and Craig Patrick — are expected to attend.
Kevin Stevens, Rick Tocchet and Mark Recchi also are among the 25 players scheduled to be present.
Sullivan broke into the NHL in 1991 with San Jose, an expansion team the Penguins routinely bludgeoned during its early seasons.
“I have a few [memories],” Sullivan said. “And they’re not good ones.
“We were an expansion team at that time, trying to find our way, and I was a young player trying to establish myself in the league. The Penguins were one of the top teams in the league with some of the best players in the world.
“It was always a challenge playing against those teams. That’s why they’re celebrating.”
Tip-ins
The Penguins limited practice Friday in Cranberry to players who didn’t play in their 6-2 victory against Dallas Thursday. Guentzel, goalie Matt Murray, forwards Chris Kunitz and Tom Sestito and defensemen Steve Oleksy and Derrick Pouliot were the players who skated. … Tickets for the Penguins’ game against Philadelphia Feb. 25 at Heinz Field will go on sale to the public Tuesday at 10 a.m. They will be available on www.Ticketmaster.com.