NYT20001228.2223.0362 NEWS STORY 2000-12-28 22:27:00

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BC-HKN-LAPOINTE-COLUMN-NYT SPORTS COLUMN: LEMIEUX'S COMEBACK IS IRRESISTIBLE &UR; By JOE LAPOINTE &LR; &QC; &QL; &UR; c.2000 N.Y. Times News Service &QC; &LR; &QL; You did not have to admire Richard Nixon, Elvis Presley or Muhammad Ali to admit that all three staged successful comebacks. As president of the United States, king of rock 'n' roll and heavyweight champion of the world, they enjoyed impressive second acts in their American lives. But each man's denouement _ one politically scandalous, another self-destructive and the third evoking sympathy _ lingers large in the mind. Mario Lemieux, the Pittsburgh hockey star, may never be a transcendent personality like Nixon, Presley or Ali, and his future will not necessarily include a tragic trajectory. But, despite the initial success of Lemieux's return to the ice, it is realistic to retain a few doubts about what will come. In sports terms, his closest parallel is Michael Jordan, who spent almost two seasons away from the NBA before returning in 1995 to lead the Chicago Bulls to three more championships. Like Jordan, Lemieux became part-owner of a team after retirement. Unlike Jordan, Lemieux is now both an equity investor and an employee. After 3 1/2 years of retirement, Lemieux played for the Penguins Wednesday, contributing one goal and two assists to a 5-0 victory over Toronto. In so doing, Lemieux pushed the NHL into the realm of real news, something it has not experienced since Wayne Gretzky's highly orchestrated retirement in 1999. The Lemieux comeback story is hard to resist because it has all the hooks. The first is talent. As the second-best player of the Gretzky era, Lemieux never got the recognition he deserved. The second factor is health. Lemieux survived Hodgkin's disease and chronic back problems. The third element is money. Lemieux rescued his team from bankruptcy last season by exchanging deferred salary for an ownership stake. But the franchise still seeks new investors and a new arena to replace the NHL's oldest rink. Mix in the family angle _ his young son wants to see him play! Finally, sprinkle it generously with competitive flavoring because Lemieux's presence could transform a mediocre, underperforming team into a dynamic and overachieving team. The other Pittsburgh superstar, Jaromir Jagr, admires Lemieux, who might change Jagr's recent sulks and pouts into shouts of triumph. At the very least, Lemieux will attract ticket buyers and television viewers to a wintry sport that usually spins its wheels along the road to show-business success. So what could be wrong with this picture? Start with health. Lemieux says his back has never felt better. One way to change that is by playing hockey, which punishes even young, healthy bodies. Can Lemieux produce at a high level at age 35? Perhaps, although crackdowns on obstruction fouls, such as this season's, tend to weaken around mid-schedule and evaporate come playoff time. This helped persuade Lemieux to retire the first time. The third caveat could be troubles, team-wide, on the ice and above it. Despite a shrewd general manager in Craig Patrick and a loyal fan base that understands the sport, the Pittsburgh franchise has seemed unsteady since the Stanley Cup years of 1991 and 1992. The market is of modest size. The new coach, Ivan Hlinka, is one of the NHL's first from Europe, and his adjustment curve has been steep. Should the Penguins falter as a team in the short term or as a business in the long term, Lemieux could be vulnerable to disappointment and even blame. A coincidence of interest in good times might seem like a conflict during struggles. But who wants to dwell on the potential downside? Consider the vibration at the Devils game against Columbus in the Meadowlands on Wednesday night. While the Stanley Cup champions played the expansion Blue Jackets, fans in the seats kept glancing at the out-of-town scoreboard and murmuring about Lemieux every time the electric sign posted another Pittsburgh goal. In the press room, between periods, reporters gathered to watch Lemieux's televised highlights from the Igloo. In the corridor afterward, two Columbus assistants met. ``Did you hear about Mario?'' one asked. ``Yeah!'' his colleague replied. Both men were smiling, as happy about that distant development as they were with a spunky 2-2 tie in Continental Arena. Even skeptics and cynics look to see the bright side. It is that time of year. The sun is turning back toward the Northern Hemisphere, shining on winter ice as the days grow longer. Both friends and foes of the Pittsburgh Penguins have a rooting interest in a Happy New Year for the athlete they call le Magnifique. NYT-12-28-00 2227EST