Mario Lemieux To Play In Penguins Alumni Game

Mario Lemieux, who last played in 2006, will return to play in an alumni game associated with the Winter Classic, the Post-Gazette reports. Lemieux and other former Penguins will face off against former Capitals players at 9:30 AM on December 31 at Heinz Field. The (current) Penguins will then practice at 11:30 AM. There will only be 10,000 tickets available for both events.

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Coffey, the fleet defenseman who fed the highly skilled center so many pucks in the late 1980s and early '90s, was quickly on board.

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"Are you going to be up the middle for the long pass?" Coffey asked.

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"I'm not going to be as fast as I used to be," Lemieux told him.

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"Well, the pass is probably not going to be on your blade, either," Coffey replied.

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Hockey players, huh?

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"Guys just pick up where they left off," Coffey said Friday. "They laugh at the same jokes. Their mannerisms are always the same."

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Ron Francis, Bryan Trottier, Bill Guerin, and Craig Simpson will also play for the Penguins. The only known Capitals player will be Peter Bondra. Jaromir Jagr, who infamously played for both teams, will not participate in the event, although it's possible that a couple other players who played for both organizations will be in the game and will switch sides partway through it.