Imagine this: A five-year plan in Pittsburgh that worked, and in four years. When the Penguins came out of the 2004-05 lockout, co-owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle had a design for the future. But keen vision, calculated risk and a one-year speed up produced dividends in only four.

As the Penguins emerged from the dark days of the NHL lockout, a five-year plan was formulated that projected them paying out the maximum amount allowed under the salary cap in the fifth year.

Technically, that plan had to be scrapped, which turned out to have a silver lining.

Sensing an opportunity for a championship, ownership decided to spend the cap limit this year, a year ahead of schedule. And it turned out to be the stuff of a Stanley Cup.

"To right the ship economically, we needed a new collective bargaining agreement and we needed a new arena, which we got," said team president David Morehouse. "But, under the original plan, we weren't going to have revenues to play to the cap until next season or more likely our first year in the new arena."

Co-owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle, however, anted up when the stars aligned. They opened the purse strings to reach the cap of $56.7 million, which allowed the Penguins to acquire the talent that produced a title.

"To go to the cap a year early was a risk. Both of them saw something no one else saw and were willing to take that risk," Morehouse said. "Without either one, it would have been impossible to do what we did. You have a hockey superstar in Mario Lemieux, and a business superstar in Ron Burkle."

The episode provides a rare glimpse into the decision-making process of two men who shun the spotlight, unlike a Jerry Jones in professional football or a Mark Cuban in pro basketball. Both Lemieux and Burkle declined to comment for this story.

Their partnership dates back 10 years, when the Penguins were emerging from their second bankruptcy. Lemieux, who quit school in the 10th grade to focus on hockey, did not know all that much about high finance. And Burkle, a California billionaire on Forbes Magazine's list of the 400 wealthiest Americans, could navigate the waters of the business world but knew next to nothing about hockey.

In taking over the failing franchise, Lemieux applied $25 million in deferred compensation as his stake in the reorganization.

Burkle, introduced to Lemieux by a mutual friend, invested $20 million. A group of nine or so others also put up money toward the $50 million in new capital needed to get the Penguins back on their feet. The ownership group also had to assume about $57 million in debt.

While the precise amount of who owns how much now is a secret, Lemieux is listed as chairman of the board. The Penguins play their hockey at 66 Mario Lemieux Place, and his retired No. 66 hangs from the Mellon Arena rafters.

From the start, Lemieux's ownership was expected to be a bridge until an owner with deeper pockets could take over. It appeared he and Burkle were out of the picture in 2006, when Canadian businessman Jim Balsillie offered to buy the team, which did not have an arena deal.

Balsillie withdrew his bid, however, when the NHL demanded that the Penguins stay in Pittsburgh. Lemieux and Burkle then decided to stay in for the long haul.

With the drafting of Marc-Andre Fleury, Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby and Jordan Staal, the Penguins had a solid core of young talent.

Around the time of the 2008 All-Star game in Atlanta, the Penguins had a budget that showed them making money for the first time in a long, long time. The projected profit was due to a boost in attendance as the Penguins started to win with regularity.

The organization could have pocketed the money, but, according to Morehouse, Lemieux thought the Penguins had the makings of a championship team if they could add some parts.

He wanted to plow the money into new players, and Burkle shared his view.

"Both of them are super competitive and used to winning," Morehouse said. "It can't be overstated how much it means to have an ownership group committed to putting the best product on the ice."

The best available player was Marian Hossa, whose rights were acquired in a trade from Atlanta. With him, they won three playoffs rounds and came within two games of winning the Cup last year.

The gamble seemed to backfire when Hossa opted to take a one-year deal from the Detroit Red Wings rather than a long-term contract with the Penguins, and several other players accepted contracts elsewhere.

Then, in February 2009, when the team's fortunes were flagging, the decision was made to relieve coach Michel Therrien, who was still owed $2 million, and bring in Dan Bylsma.

"When we made the decision, we needed a change. Money didn't enter into it," Morehouse said.

The Penguins added more parts by trading for Chris Kunitz and Billy Guerin, who were key players in a playoff run that culminated with a Game 7 victory in Detroit. Those additions actually put them over the cap, and they had to send Miroslav Satan to the minors until the playoffs began.

The Penguins will remain at the maximum allowable spending limit for next season, the last one at Mellon Arena. From a marketing standpoint, the timing of winning the Cup could not have been better.

Luxury boxes and ticket packages for the new arena are being offered now, and there is no better lure than a defending champion about to move into a new home.

"If you were able to pick a year to win a championship that would be of the greatest benefit to us, it would be this year," said Morehouse.

Ownership decisions have paid immediate dividends. Lemieux and Burkle took part in the celebration at center ice the night the Cup was won, and they rode together in the championship parade.

For the first time, Burkle was included in the team picture. And he brought his son, Andrew, in from Beverly Hills to be in the victory parade as well.

As one insider noted, you can have $3.5 billion, but you can't buy the feeling that comes with winning a championship.

Burkle also provided the use of his private 757 jet plane to fly Malkin, Max Talbot and team officials to the NHL awards in Las Vegas.

Hockey's future, both on and off the ice, is brighter than it has ever been here.

"We have as a model one of the best-run teams in all of sports right here in Pittsburgh -- the Steelers," Morehouse said. "We have to make sound business decisions, but ownership is also committed to building something [and] committed to winning."