PITTSBURGH -- Talks of the Penguins leaving or staying in Pittsburgh have been going on for so long that many fans refused to believe the good news that a deal has been reached until an official announcement was made.

The saga began eight years ago when the player who saved the franchise once, saved it again not on the ice but in bankruptcy court.

With the city and county backing him up with a promise of financing for a new arena by 2002, Mario Lemieux became the team's owner in 1999.

When 2002 arrived, so did the Pens plans for the 18,000-seat building situated in the lower Hill District.

"Our main objective is to find a new home where we can showcase our team in a beautiful facility," said Pens CEO Ken Sawyer.

But the public money didn't materialize.

But, in 2005, gaming did.

Isle of Capri entered the equation with the promise that if it received the slots license, it would build an arena for the Pens.

But the state, city and county had Plan B, which had the Penguins, the state and taxpayers all footing the bill.

The penguins didn't bite.

In 2006, BlackBerry billionaire Jim Balsillie did bite. With the Pens on the market, he stepped up to buy the team, but backed out of the deal a short time later, leaving the Pens banking on Isle of Capri and ignoring Plan B.

Just a little more than a week ago, Lemieux said he felt he wasn't being dealt with fairly by the city, and state and negotiations reached an impasse, meaning the Penguins were looking for another city to host the team.

Lemieux and the Pens' brass met with officials in Las Vegas and Kansas City.

Shortly after the impasse announcement and the Pens' meeting with other cities, local officials scheduled a meeting with the team, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman in Philadelphia. The next meeting wasn't to happen until Wednesday, but news of the deal leaked out late Monday night.

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