PITTSBURGH -- What's really behind the statement issued by Mario Lemieux on Thursday?

Is Lemieux, the Pittsburgh Penguins' chairman and part-owner, serious about moving the team?

Is it a negotiating ploy to get a better arena deal?

Or is he simply fed up with politicians and broken promises?

According to WTAE Channel 4 Action Sports reporter Guy Junker, it's a combination of all three.

When Lemieux and his investors took over the Pens in 1999, few people thought it would be a lifelong pursuit for him to be an owner of a hockey team. It was the only way he could recoup more than $32 million that the bankrupt franchise owed him.

As the city laid off police and firefighters and eventually filed for Act 47 protection from the state, Lemieux was told by then-Mayor Tom Murphy that no money was available for a new arena.

The state Legislature, under then-Gov. Tom Ridge, had earmarked $60 million in state money to help pay for a new arena. But when the tragedy of 9/11 hit, Ridge moved on to become the country's Secretary of Homeland Security. Support for an arena became less enthusiastic in Harrisburg.

Then, the state Legislature passed the gaming bill. The Penguins worked out a deal with Isle of Capri Casinos to build a $290 million arena if that company was granted Pittsburgh's slots license.

Earlier this year, Gov. Ed Rendell proposed that the other license applicants should come up with a contingency plan to fund an arena.

Early figures for the so-called Plan B -- which the Penguins haven't been able to discuss because of their agreement with Isle of Capri -- would have the Pens paying more than $128 million over 30 years.

That's a much larger percentage than the Steelers and Pirates are paying for Heinz Field and PNC Park, and it most likely will be the starting point for reworking the numbers.