Penguins center Mario Lemieux announced his retirement at a press conference this afternoon at Mellon Arena.

Post-Gazette file photo Mario Lemieux Related coverage Analysis: Retirement will have little impact this season

Lemieux, 40, has not played since Dec. 16 because of problems caused by an irregular heartbeat. He was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation last month but had been working out regularly and seemed intent on playing again this season.

Lemieux today said he could no longer play at the level he was used to, and he noted the National Hockey League has become dominated by young, fast players.

He also cited his health problems, which he said persist.

Lemieux retired for the first time in 1997 and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame later that year. He is the No. 7 scorer in NHL history, with 690 goals and 1,033 assists in 915 career games. Lemieux had seven goals and 15 assists in 26 games this season.

Lemieux, who assumed ownership of the team when it came out of bankruptcy in 1999, came out of retirement on Dec. 27, 2000, and helped the Penguins advance to the Eastern Conference finals in the spring of 2001. That was his final playoff appearance.

His career was highlighted by the Penguins' Stanley Cup-winning seasons in 1991 and 1992; Lemieux was the captain of those teams.

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More details in tomorrow's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.