The Pittsburgh Penguins set June 2002 as a deadline to secure financing for a new arena to replace 40-year-old Mellon Arena, the oldest in the NHL.

Penguins executive Tom Rooney said Thursday that the next eight-to-12 months will be critical in the pursuit of a new arena, which owner-player Mario Lemieux said is a necessity if the franchise is to survive in small-market Pittsburgh.

"We haven't asked for dollar No. 1 yet, and we won't until we figure out where we are first," Rooney said. "But we're looking at June as a deadline to get the financing in place."

However, with many Pittsburgh-area taxpayers still unhappy that public funds paid for about 80 percent of the Pirates' new ballpark and about 60 percent of the Steelers' new stadium, the Penguins could find it difficult to secure large amounts of public cash.

Gov. Tom Ridge has at his disposal up to $60 million in arena funding that was set aside by lawmakers more than a year ago. Ridge, who played golf recently with Lemieux, has told the Penguins that he must see a major investment from private sources and other public entities before he commits state money.

But with the Penguins less than two years removed from a complicated, protracted bankruptcy that allowed Lemieux to buy the team, their cash outlay is expected to be more in line with the Pirates' approximately $40 million commitment for PNC Park than the $110 million-plus the Steelers kicked in for Heinz Field.

A new arena is projected to cost from $200 million to $250 million, or about what PNC Park cost.

"We've still got to figure out what we can afford," Rooney said.

In addition to the two new stadiums, Pittsburgh's downtown convention center was leveled and is being rebuilt. Because the total outlay for the convention center and new stadiums was $1 billion, much of it taxpayer-funded, the city and Allegheny County have been lukewarm to the Penguins' overtures concerning arena money.

Also Thursday, Lemieux said that he plans to "keep playing for a long time" -- possibly even until the arena's projected opening in 2005, when he would be 40.

Meanwhile, the Penguins' payroll is expected to come in at its projected $34 million, even though forwards Martin Straka, Robert Lang, Jan Hrdina and Alexei Kovalev got big raises in arbitration.

The $34 million includes a hefty pay raise for Lemieux. He was given a $5 million, one-year deal Thursday, making him the highest-paid player on the team. Lemieux made the league average last season, which worked out to about $800,000 because he only played about half of the season.

Kovalev was the highest-paid player before Lemieux received his new deal. He was awarded more than $4 million per season in arbitration.

Lemieux's salary ranks 31st among NHL players. Lemieux scored more points per game last season than any other player in the league.

In an off-ice move, Rooney was named president of Team Lemieux LLC, which runs the Penguins. He will be responsible for the day-to-day business operations.

Ken Sawyer, a former NHL executive and the team's chief financial officer, was promoted to president of Lemieux Group LP, the parent organization of the Penguins and their related companies. He will oversee the franchise's financial and legal dealings, including the arena project.

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