Claude Lemieux, a four-time Stanley Cup champion and once one of the NHL\u2019s most infamous antagonists, has died at the age of 60.<\/p>\n
The Palm Beach County Sheriff\u2019s Office said Thursday that deputies responded shortly after 3 a.m. to an apparent suicide at a furniture showroom in Lake Park, Fla. The sheriff\u2019s office said the victim, believed to be Lemieux, was found by his son in the rear warehouse after not returning home.<\/p>\n
Lemieux co-owned the high-end furniture store with his wife, Deborah.<\/p>\n
In the 2025 Crave series Toujours Canadiens, Lemieux reflected on what he hoped for his four children when asked about life beyond hockey.<\/p>\n
\u201cHappiness. Being happy is not about winning the Stanley Cup or money. Being happy is to be comfortable in your own skin, to have a good partner, to be there for your kids,\u201d he said. \u00a0\u201cI\u2019m a grandfather now, so that\u2019s something I wish for them, too.\u201d<\/p>\n
He was honoured at Montreal\u2019s Bell Centre on Monday, carrying a ceremonial torch onto the ice before the Canadiens\u2019 Game 3 playoff matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes.<\/p>\n
The Canadiens said Thursday that \u201cthe entire Canadiens organization is saddened to learn of the passing of Claude Lemieux.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cToday is a dark day for the Canadiens family and the entire hockey community,\u201d Canadiens owner and CEO Geoff Molson said in a statement. \u201cI wish to express my most sincere and deepest condolences to Claude\u2019s family and loved ones.”<\/p>\n
Molson described Lemieux as a fierce competitor who consistently delivered in big moments and said he \u201cembodied the very essence of being a Montreal Canadiens player.\u201d<\/p>\n
The San Jose Sharks said on X that \u201cthe entire Sharks organization is saddened to learn of the passing of Sharks alum and NHL legend Claude Lemieux.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lemieux finished his career with San Jose after coming out of a five-and-a-half-year retirement at age 43 during the 2008-09 season. He had one assist in 18 games before retiring for good in July 2009.<\/p>\n
In a statement, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman called Lemieux “one of the greatest big-game players in hockey history,\u2019 a reputation reflected in his playoff scoring totals.<\/p>\n
His 80 career playoff goals rank ninth in league history, sandwiched between Habs legends Jean Beliveau (79) and Maurice (Rocket) Richard (82).<\/p>\n
Along with stepping up his game in the playoffs, he was also known for playing close to the edge \u2014 and sometimes crossing it.<\/p>\n
In the 1986 Stanley Cup Final, Lemieux bit Calgary Flames winger Jim Peplinski\u2019s finger as they tussled in a brawl following the fourth game.<\/p>\n
“I didn’t know they allowed cannibalism in the NHL,” Peplinski quipped after the game.<\/p>\n
Ten years later, Lemieux once again made headlines while playing for Colorado when he rammed Detroit Red Wings forward Kris Draper into the boards from behind in Game 6 of the Western Conference Final.<\/p>\n
Draper sustained a broken jaw, cheek and orbital bone, while Lemieux escaped serious discipline when he was suspended by the NHL for two games.<\/p>\n
The Avalanche went on to sweep Florida in the Cup Final, with Lemieux returning from suspension to score the first goal in Game 3.<\/p>\n
Lemieux’s bite came up again in 2021 when his son Brendan, then a forward with the Los Angeles Kings, was suspended five games for biting Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk during a game in 2021.<\/p>\n
Drafted by Montreal in the second round in 1983, Lemieux recorded 97 goals and 92 assists in 281 regular-season games with the Canadiens.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He added 23 goals and 22 assists in 77 playoff games and won the Stanley Cup as a rookie in 1986.<\/p>\n
Former Canadiens teammate Chris Nilan said he was stunned by the news, recalling he had just seen Lemieux before Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final at the Bell Centre.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe looked great; he seemed great,\u201d Nilan said Thursday on Montreal 690 radio.<\/p>\n
Nilan called Lemieux \u201can incredible playoff performer, a great teammate, tough as nails.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI am totally shocked,\u201d he added. \u201cYou never know when you are going to see someone for the last time.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m glad I at least got to look him in the eye and tell him what I thought of him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Darren McCarty, a truculent member of the Red Wings who had multiple fights with Lemieux, posted a broken heart emoji on social media and heard the news from Draper.\u00a0<\/p>\n
McCarty said Lemieux the person was totally different than the player, and the two later met for an interview with smiles about their clashes.<\/p>\n
\u201cSad day: another brother gone,” McCarty said in a video message posted to YouTube. “If you\u2019re struggling out there, no matter what, just reach out for some help. It can never be that bad. It\u2019s a sad day, no matter what. Rest in peace, Claude.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lemieux finished his NHL career with 379 goals, 407 assists and 1,777 penalty minutes in 1,215 regular-season games with Montreal, New Jersey, Colorado, Phoenix, Dallas and San Jose.<\/p>\n
He also represented Canada internationally, winning gold at the 1985 world junior championship and the 1987 Canada Cup.<\/p>\n
\u2014 With files from Associated Press<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Claude Lemieux, a four-time Stanley Cup champion and once one of the NHL\u2019s most infamous antagonists, has died…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":700651,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[43,44,41,39,42,40],"class_list":["post-700650","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/700650","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=700650"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/700650\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/700651"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=700650"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=700650"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=700650"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}