Mario Lemieux, OC, CQ (born October 5, 1965) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played parts of 17 seasons with the National Hockey League's (NHL) Pittsburgh Penguins between 1984 and 2006. In 1999, he bought the Penguins and their top minor-league affiliate, the American Hockey League's (AHL) Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, out of bankruptcy, and is currently the team's principal owner and chairman.