(*60*)
Claude Lemieux, a four-time Stanley Cup champion whose ferocious, hard-hitting model of play angered opponents and typically overshadowed his prodigious abilities and means to ship within the greatest video games, has died after taking his personal life, in response to authorities. He was 60.
The Palm Beach County Sherriff’s Office mentioned Thursday that deputies responded simply after 3 a.m. to the scene of an obvious suicide at a furnishings retailer showroom in Lake Park, Florida. The sheriff’s workplace mentioned the sufferer was believed to be Lemieux.
The NHL Alumni Association introduced Lemieux’s dying in a publish on social media.
Just three days in the past, Lemieux was the Montreal Canadiens’ torch bearer previous to Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final at Bell Centre. Former teammate Chris Nilan reposted a picture of him, Lemieux and Sergio Momesso from the sector with the message: “You never know when you’re going to see someone for the last time. Rest in Peace, Mon Ami.”
“Today is a dark day for the Canadiens family and the entire hockey community,” Canadiens proprietor Geoff Molson mentioned. “A fierce competitor who rose to the occasion in big moments, Claude was a relentless, courageous, and tenacious player who led the team to the highest honors. He embodied the very essence of being a Montreal Canadiens player. Today we mourn the untimely passing of one of our champions. Our thoughts are with his family on this difficult day.”
As a participant, Lemieux was a mixture of ability and abrasiveness, not afraid to cross the road within the title of competitors.
He received the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP after scoring 13 targets in 20 video games for the New Jersey Devils to assist them win their first championship in 1995.
A 12 months later with the Colorado Avalanche, he was suspended for 2 video games for a hit from behind on Detroit’s Kris Draper that fueled one of many nastiest rivalries within the historical past of the NHL. Lemieux returned to attain the primary objective in Game 3 of the ultimate towards Florida on the way in which to the Avalanche sweeping the Panthers to win the Stanley Cup for the primary time of their first season since transferring from his native Quebec.
Darren McCarty, a truculent member of the Red Wings who had a number of fights with Lemieux, posted a damaged coronary heart emoji on social media and heard the information from Draper. McCarty mentioned Lemieux the particular person was completely totally different than the participant, and the 2 later met for an interview with smiles about their clashes.
“Sad day: another brother gone,” McCarty mentioned in a video message posted to YouTube. “If you’re struggling out there, no matter what, just reach out for some help. It can never be that bad. It’s a sad day, no matter what. Rest in peace, Claude.”
Lemieux additionally received the Cup with Montreal in 1986 and returned to the Devils to be a a part of their title run in 2000. He performed 1,449 regular-season and playoff video games with six totally different groups from 1983-2009.
Commissioner Gary Bettman referred to as Lemieux “one of the greatest big-game players in hockey history.”
Lemieux had grow to be an agent within the years since his enjoying profession ended and represented Carolina’s Frederik Andersen, New Jersey’s Timo Meier, Detroit’s Moritz Seider and Boston’s Hampus Lindholm amongst greater than a dozen shoppers within the NHL.
At a gathering in December to have a good time the 30-year anniversary of Colorado’s ’95 Stanley Cup championship, Lemieux mentioned of successful, “When it’s happening, when you’re in the middle of it, you don’t quite appreciate it as much as you should.”
Late former teammate Chris Simon was represented in the course of the on-ice ceremony by his kids. He died in 2024 at 52.
“It’s very difficult, and especially with Chris passing at such a young age,” Lemieux mentioned. “We have to count our blessings — be grateful for the days that we have and enjoy and appreciate those times when we get together.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: Help is accessible should you or somebody you realize is fighting suicidal ideas or psychological well being issues. Call or textual content 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.