Lemieux Retires...

Mario Lemieux has decided once again to end his National Hockey League playing career.
The Penguins player-owner announced his decision today at Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh.
"This is always a difficult decision for any athlete to make," Lemieux said. "If I could still play this game I would be on the ice."
The 40-year-old Hall of Famer cited his health and family as reasons to stop playing.
Lemieux learned in early December that he has atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat that can cause his pulse to flutter wildly and must be controlled by medication.
He said the decision to quit was in "the best interest of myself, my family and the Pittsburgh Penguins."
Leieux retired for the first time in 1997 and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame later that year. He is seventh on the all-time NHL scoring list with 690 goals and 1,033 assists in 915 career games. Lemieux had seven goals and 15 assists in 26 games this season.