Claude Lemieux, a legendary figure in hockey known for his four Stanley Cup wins and infamous reputation on the ice, has passed away at 60.
The NHL Alumni Association made the announcement on Thursday, without disclosing the cause of death. However, TMZ later reported that Lemieux died by suicide. His family, including his wife and four children, are left mourning his loss. Reports indicate that his son discovered him early Thursday morning.
Lemieux’s death came just days after he was honored as the ceremonial ‘torch bearer’ at the Bell Centre for the Montreal Canadiens during their Eastern Conference Final Game 3 against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Originally from Buckingham, Quebec, Lemieux had a prolific career spanning from 1983 to 2009. He secured four championship titles and ranked ninth in NHL history with 80 playoff goals. His participation in 234 playoff games places him sixth on the all-time list.
Despite his achievements, Lemieux was also notorious for his aggressive style, amassing 1,777 penalty minutes over 1,215 regular season games. This earned him a reputation as one of the most controversial players in the NHL’s history.
While his championship victories stand out, many remember Lemieux for a particularly fierce hit on Detroit Red Wings’ Kris Draper. This incident ignited a long-standing rivalry between the Detroit Red Wings and the Colorado Avalanche.
NHL Pays Tribute to Claude Lemieux
‘The National Hockey League mourns the passing of Claude Lemieux, a four-time Stanley Cup champion and one of the greatest big-game Players in hockey history,’ read a statement from commissioner Gary Bettman.
‘Lemieux forged his postseason reputation and won the Cup for the first time as a rookie in 1986, when he scored 10 goals in the Playoffs for the Montreal Canadiens. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as Playoffs MVP in 1995, scoring 13 goals in 20 postseason games with the New Jersey Devils. He was also an integral part of Cup-winning teams in Colorado in 1996 and back with New Jersey in 2000.
‘Overall, his teams reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 15 straight seasons; his 234 postseason games played rank sixth in NHL history; and his 80 career Playoff goals rank ninth. In recent years, as a player agent, he has represented some of the top stars in the NHL.
‘We send our deepest condolences to Claude’s wife, Deborah, and his four children, Brendan, Claudia, Michael and Christopher.’
Born in 1965, Lemieux played in the QMJHL for Trois-Rivieres before being drafted in the second round by his hometown Canadiens.
Lemieux made his NHL debut at 18 and was a major contributor to Montreal’s 1986 Stanley Cup-winning team.
Infamous Red Wings Rivalry
He became the first rookie in NHL history to score a Game 7 overtime winner, eliminating the Hartford Whalers in the Prince of Wales Division Finals. In those same playoffs, he scored the only goal in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals as the Habs won that year’s title in five games over the Calgary Flames.
He was traded to the New Jersey Devils in 1990 and won his second Stanley Cup with the team in 1995 – scoring goals in Games 1 and 3 of a series sweep and winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the playoffs.
Following that title-winning campaign, Lemieux was traded to the Colorado Avalanche for the 1995-96 season. It was in that year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs that Lemieux would lay the hit that defined his career.
In Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals against Detroit, Lemieux laid a check on Red Wings forward Kris Draper from behind that broke his jaw, nose and cheekbone while also giving him a concussion.
The hit sparked a rivalry between the teams that lasted for years and carried over to the next season after the Avalanche eliminated the Red Wings in that game en route to winning the 1996 Stanley Cup – giving Lemieux his third title.
Even though the NHL suspended Lemieux for two games, fans in Detroit anticipated the chance for revenge in a March 26, 1997, game in Michigan that kicked off one of the most infamous brawls in NHL history.
In what was the third fight of the night, Red Wings enforcer Darren McCarty sent Lemieux to the ice with the first of what would be many devastating blows before officials separated the two.
Lemieux Retired in 2009 After Brief Comeback
By game’s end, the Red Wings won 6-5 in an overtime game that featured 18 fighting major penalties and 144 penalty minutes combined.
The two teams met again in the 1997 Western Conference Finals, where the teams fought more before the Red Wings beat Colorado in six games en route to winning the Stanley Cup.
The two teams would continue fighting for years until Lemieux was traded back to New Jersey in November of 1999, just in time to win his fourth Stanley Cup with the Devils that season.
He eventually played three seasons with the Phoenix Coyotes and part of one season with the Dallas Stars before retiring in 2003.
Lemieux made a career comeback in 2008, playing 18 games with the San Jose Sharks before retiring for good in 2009.
He is survived by his brother, Jocelyn Lemieux, who also enjoyed a lengthy career in the NHL.
Among Claude’s children is his son, Brendan Lemieux, who played seven seasons in the NHL for five teams – the Winnipeg Jets, New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings, Philadelphia Flyers and the Hurricanes.
Brendan currently plays in Switzerland with HC Davos. Brendan and Claude are the only father-son duo in NHL history to be punished by the league for biting other players.
If you or someone you know needs help, please call or text the confidential 24/7 Crisis Lifeline in the US on 988. There is also an online chat available.
