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Pittsburgh Penguins History: Lemieux Signs First Contract

Pittsburgh Penguins, Mario Lemieux. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Things between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Mario Lemieux started off rocky.

On Jun. 19, 1984, the Pittsburgh Penguins announced that Mario Lemieux had signed a contract, while the details were scant, the deal ended a nearly month-long saga, that saw many different narratives develop.

At the end of the day all that mattered that Lemieux was finally a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Here is a quick look back at some of the events surrounding the signing.

Communication Breakdown

On or around Jun 4, 1984, negotiations between Lemieux’s agent Gus Badall (also represented Kirk Muller and Wayne Gretzky) and Penguins general manager Ed Johnston broke down.