By Jonah Sharf
On September 1, 1999, the legendary Mario Lemieux was approved by the NHL to become the majority owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins. After his (first) retirement from a career in which he was considered one of the best players of all time, he was owed more than 30 million dollars of deferred payments by the Penguins due to money problems. Instead of being paid the money, he offered to have it turned into equity and paid five million in cash, which gave him a controlling stake. He later came back during the 2000 season, while he was still the owner, and played until 2006. While Lemieux is best known for his many accomplishments as a player, he has done well as an owner too, helping the Penguins win three Stanley Cup Championships since he was owner.