Tom Werner, chairman of Fenway Sports Group, made his rounds in Pittsburgh this week. He met with Penguins brass, visited elected officials in the city and, finally, took in the Penguins game on Wednesday night.
He said that the agreement to acquire the majority stake in the Penguins was officially finalized on Dec. 31. As he met with recently sworn-in Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, Werner joked, “You know, we've been here twice as long as you have … and we've been here for five days.”
As Werner spoke with a handful of local media members during the first intermission, he was complementary about the past success of the club and optimistic about the direction the team is headed. Werner expressed his confidence in the team, the coaching staff and the decision makers in the front office.
“This is an iconic club with a great history,” Werner said. “We are privileged to be involved with Penguins. First of all, to work with Mario Lemieux. I've been a hockey fan all my life. He's one of the greatest hockey players ever and he's a classy guy off the ice.
“I think that Mike Sullivan is one of the great coaches in the NHL. I told him that to his face yesterday. [President of hockey operations Brian Burke] said, ‘Well, you know, he's going to now ask for a contract extension.’”
FSG wields the power of a multi-pronged sports conglomerate that owns the Boston Red Sox, Liverpool Football Club and many other diverse assets that include real estate and media outlets. Given that financial footprint, Werner said he anticipates the Penguins will continue to spend to the cap limit, as they have in the past.
"If you have money, and you have brains, hopefully you'll be successful,” Werner said.
Werner said that he sees the Penguins “very differently” than he did when FSG acquired the Red Sox.
“We felt when we got involved with the Red Sox they hadn't won a World Series in 84 years,” Werner said. “This is a team that is an outstanding team on and off the ice. It's got a great role in the community. I care very much about our relationship — not just to their fans, but to the community in Pittsburgh. We are lucky to be stewards of the franchise right now.”
Where will he take the team?
In many ways FSG is acquiring the Penguins at a critical inflection point in the organization’s history. The three key members of the core are all in their mid-30s. While Sidney Crosby is signed through 2024-25, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang are in the final years of their respective deals.
“I believe that the Penguins have a chance to win the Stanley Cup this year,” Werner said.“There's no dominant team … and we're on an eight-game winning streak.
“As it relates to Letang and Malkin, we know that they want to stay here and we'd like them to stay here. We know what they mean to Pittsburgh. Beyond that I'll leave it up to [general manager Ron Hextall and Mr. Burke].”
In terms of the level of involvement FSG will have, Werner said that he has great confidence in Hextall and Burke to steer the ship. He said FSG personnel will have daily discussions with the Pittsburgh decision-makers, but "it's not up to me to decide who are the forwards and who is the goalie [on a given night].”
In addition to the product on the ice, Werner said it’s important for him to foster an environment where fans have a positive experience at the rink — win or lose.
He also plans to be involved in the ongoing redevelopment of the former Civic Arena site. Werner said he had some positive discussions with elective officials and sees an opportunity with work community groups.
“One of the things that I said is we like to under-promise and over-deliver,” Werner said. “So we don't have a timetable right now. But we think if you look back at that development parcel in a few years, it will be quite different than what it is now.”
Mike DeFabo: mdefabo@post-gazette.com and Twitter @MikeDeFabo.
First Published: January 6, 2022, 2:50 a.m.
