A new Web site for hockey player and Pittsburgh Penguins owner Mario Lemieux debuted yesterday.
Created by FastForward Inc., Pittsburgh, the site at www.mariolemieux.com focuses on Lemieux's career and community service. Its debut also is intended to benefit the Penguins, which already has a dedicated team site.
“As a marketer, [mariolemieux.com] bulletproofs them as a brand,” said Stephen Wayhart, vice president of marketing at FastForward.
The site tracks Lemieux's career from being the first overall draft pick in the 1984 National Hockey League Draft to his 1997 induction in the Hockey Hall of Fame and his return to hockey last season.
Besides career statistics and audio and video clips, the site also features Lemieux's work for cancer research. It also boasts links to the Pittsburgh Penguins, Mario Lemieux Foundation and Mellon Mario Lemieux Celebrity Golf Invitational sites.
A key feature of the site is the online store. On sale are $800 jerseys with Lemieux's 66 number, $400 hockey sticks, $225 photographs and $200 pucks – all autographed and authenticated. Other items include his newly released biography, “Over Time,” posters and other collectibles.
The site is based on FastForward's Easy Platform for Interactive Commerce, often used by brands to manage customer interaction. It is the first player/owner's site in the NHL.
