from Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Revies,

Save the NHL season for us!

Ask me, and it’s actually well past time for the Penguins’ ownership to take an active role in this ridiculous NHL lockout, which likely will see the first slice of the 82-game season wiped away Friday. And by ownership, I don’t mean just Lemieux but also Ron Burkle.

No two individuals are more qualified to make an impact.

In Burkle’s case, though the co-owner keeps a low profile, he swings a huge hammer. He’s a billionaire who built his empire through growing a grocery chain in California. He’s a sharp businessman who used to get directly involved in talks with those unions, almost universally commanding respect at the blue-collar level. And in case anyone’s forgotten, he was the guy who went one-on-one in a room with former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell to put the finishing touch on the Consol deal.

Lemieux opened the door, and Burkle locked up the deal.

As Rendell told Trib Total Media last week: “In negotiating, you need somebody who can cut through the mess and focus on what will get a deal. Ron was excellent at that when we worked out the arena for the Penguins.”

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