PITTSBURGH (Ticker) -- Hockey Hall-of-Famer Mario Lemieux will join the Pittsburgh Penguins for his first practice on Tuesday. The Penguins announced today that Lemieux will practice that day at 10:45 a.m EST at Iceoplex at Southpointe, the team's training facility. Lemieux, 35, has been working out with weights and skating for the last few months and hopes to play his first game late this month or in early January. On Monday, Lemieux officially announced his return to the NHL after a three-year retirement. One of the greatest players in NHL history, Lemieux led Pittsburgh to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 1990-91 and 1991-92 and retired as the sixth-leading scorer in NHL history with 613 goals and 881 assists in 745 games, all with the Penguins. After battling Hodgkin's disease and persistent back problems, Lemieux retired following the 1996-97 season at the age of 32 and became the ninth player inducted to the Hall of Fame without the mandatory three-year waiting period. Lemieux, who owns the Penguins, will remain as chairman and CEO but will not be involved in the day-to-day operations of the team.
