The Mario LeMieux Foundation rescued the wooden locker once occupied by the former Pittsburgh Penguins’ great before the rest of the old Mellon Arena (Civic Arena) was scheduled to be sold off. Now, the LeMieux locker is about to be sold to raise money for charity.
But there’s a “catch”.
The winning bidder will also be bidding on Sidney Crosby’s locker, which is attached.
After LeMieux’s retirement several years ago, the Pens didn’t assign it to anyone else. When Crosby came along, he was given the space next door.
Crosby occupied the stall next to Lemieux during the 2005 season through the Arena’s final year in 2010. The Locker room stall is made up of three components: the bench, the back support and the shelf with nameplate.
Lemieux and Crosby autographed the attached removeable nameplates, which are not original. A certificate of authenticity from the Penguins and the Mario Lemieux Foundation verifies both signatures and the authenticity of the locker room stall itself.
The auction for the lockers begins later today at NHLAuctons.com. Minimum bid is $12,500. Other signed and game used hockey memorabilia is included in the auction, which runs through November 18.
The proceeds from the auction will benefit construction of special playrooms at children’s hospitals.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says Crosby is actually fired up about the auction and a local museum is hoping the winning bidder might be civic minded, rather than a collector.
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