Claude Lemieux obit

New details emerge surrounding four-time Stanley Cup winner Claude Lemieux's death

Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office confirmed deputies responded to an apparent suicide at a Lake Park store

 He was not on the list.

Claude Lemieux, a four-time Stanley Cup champion, died after taking his own life, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office confirmed. He was 60.

Authorities said Thursday that deputies responded shortly after 3 a.m. to the scene of an apparent suicide at the family’s furniture store in Lake Park, Florida. The officer said the victim was believed to be Lemieux, who was found in a rear warehouse by one of his sons.

Lemieux broke into the league with the Montreal Canadiens and was part of their Stanley Cup-winning team in 1986.

He won four Stanley Cups in his career and in 1995 and 1996 became the 10th player in NHL history to win back-to-back Stanley Cups with different teams, first with the New Jersey Devils and then with the Colorado Avalanche.

After the 1995 Stanley Cup Final, Lemieux was also awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy. In his postseason career, Lemieux had 158 points (80G, 78A) in 234 games played.

Lemieux last played in the NHL with the San Jose Sharks, and retired in 2009.

In all, he appeared in 1,215 NHL games for the Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils, Colorado Avalanche, Phoenix Coyotes, Dallas Stars and San Jose Sharks.

He went on to become a player agent, and oddly enough, according to North State Journal, represented Carolina Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen.

Lemieux was born in Buckingham, Quebec and grew up in Mont-Laurier. He was drafted in the second round of the 1983 NHL entry draft by the Montreal Canadiens and played with them from 1983–1990, winning his first Stanley Cup with the team in 1986. In 1990, he was traded to the Devils, with whom he played five seasons and won a second Stanley Cup. He was traded to the Colorado Avalanche in 1995 and won his third Stanley Cup during the 1996 Cup Final. During the playoffs that season, Lemieux hit Kris Draper of the Detroit Red Wings from behind, breaking Draper's orbital, cheek, and jaw bones, and sparking a vicious rivalry between the Avalanche and Red Wings. In 1999, Lemieux was traded back to the Devils and won a fourth Stanley Cup with them in the 2000 Cup Final. Over the next few seasons, he played for the Phoenix Coyotes and Dallas Stars. Lemieux left the NHL in 2003 and briefly joined EV Zug of the Swiss Nationalliga A before retiring as a player. In 2005, he was named president of the ECHL's Phoenix RoadRunners, a position he held for two years. Lemieux returned to the NHL with the San Jose Sharks for the 2008–09 season, but retired again after that year. Following his retirement, Lemieux became a sports agent, serving in the role until his death.

His son, Brendan Lemieux, is also a former NHL player, who plays for HC Davos of the National League in Switzerland.

Lemieux was drafted in the second round of the 1983 NHL entry draft by the Montreal Canadiens. The 6-foot-1, 215-pound wing scored 379 goals and made 407 assists for a career point total of 786. He played with the Canadiens from 1983–1990, winning the Stanley Cup with the team in 1986 with Lemieux scoring 10 goals as a rookie in his first playoffs.

In September 1990, Lemieux was traded to the New Jersey Devils for Sylvain Turgeon. Lemieux won his second Stanley Cup in 1995 as New Jersey defeated the Detroit Red Wings. Completing the postseason with 13 goals, he also won the Conn Smythe Trophy that year as the playoff MVP.

Shortly before the beginning of the 1995–96 season, Lemieux was traded to the Colorado Avalanche in a three-team deal that also involved Wendel Clark and Steve Thomas. When the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in 1996, Lemieux became the tenth player to win back-to-back Stanley Cups with different teams.

In November 1999, Lemieux was traded back to New Jersey in a deal that sent Brian Rolston to Colorado. He won his fourth and final Stanley Cup title with the Devils in 2000. In that offseason, Lemieux signed as a free agent with the Phoenix Coyotes.

In January 2003, the Coyotes traded him to the Dallas Stars for Scott Pellerin and a conditional draft pick. Lemieux ended his NHL playing career with Dallas after the 2002–03 season. He played briefly the following season for EV Zug of the Swiss Nationalliga A.

In September 2008, on RDS, Lemieux expressed an interest in making a comeback to the NHL. He began the season with the China Sharks of the Asia League Ice Hockey before signing a contract with the Worcester Sharks on November 25. After scoring two goals and six points in 14 games with Worcester, Lemieux signed a two-way contract with the San Jose Sharks on December 29, 2008. The following day, he cleared waivers and continued to play for Worcester. On January 19, 2009, the San Jose Sharks recalled Lemieux to the NHL; on February 19, he recorded the first (and only) NHL point of his comeback, assisting on Milan Michalek's second-period goal against the Los Angeles Kings. That same year, the Sharks won the Presidents' Trophy.

Lemieux represented Canada three times in international competitions. He made his first international appearance as a member of the Canadian national junior team at the 1985 World Junior Championships in Helsinki, Finland. Lemieux finished the tournament with 3 goals and 2 assists in 6 games to help Canada win its second World Junior gold medal. Lemieux was also a member of the 1987 Canada Cup winning team where he tallied 2 points in 6 games. His final appearance in international play came when he was selected to the Team Canada roster for the 1996 World Cup of Hockey. Lemieux picked up 19 penalty minutes in the eight games as Canada finished second.

After retiring from the NHL, Lemieux was often a guest on TSN's Off the Record with Michael Landsberg, sharing insights on his playing days in the NHL. At the time of his death, he was President of the sports agency 4sports Hockey, representing 16 clients, including Timo Meier, Moritz Seider, Rickard Rakell, and Hampus Lindholm.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season                        Playoffs

Season Team   League GP       G         A         Pts       PIM     GP       G         A         Pts       PIM

1981–82          Richelieu Éclaireurs    QMAAA         48        24        48        72        96        8          10        13            23        14

1982–83          Trois-Rivières Draveurs          QMJHL           62        28        38        66        187      4          1            0          1          30

1983–84          Montreal Canadiens    NHL    8          1          1          2          12        —        —        —        —            —

1983–84          Verdun Juniors            QMJHL           51        41        45        86        225      9          8          12            20        63

1983–84          Nova Scotia Voyageurs           AHL    —        —        —        —        —        2          1          0            1          6

1983–84          Verdun Juniors            MC      —        —        —        —        —        3          1          3          4            2

1984–85          Montreal Canadiens    NHL    1          0          1          1          7          —        —        —        —            —

1984–85          Verdun Junior Canadiens        QMJHL           52        58        66        124      152      14        23            17        40        38

1985–86          Sherbrooke Canadiens            AHL    58        21        32        53        145      —        —        —            —        —

1985–86          Montreal Canadiens    NHL    10        1          2          3          22        20        10        6          16            68

1986–87          Montreal Canadiens    NHL    76        27        26        53        156      17        4          9          13            41

1987–88          Montreal Canadiens    NHL    78        31        30        61        137      11        3          2          5            20

1988–89          Montreal Canadiens    NHL    69        29        22        51        136      18        4          3          7            58

1989–90          Montreal Canadiens    NHL    39        8          10        18        106      11        1          3          4            38

1990–91          New Jersey Devils      NHL    78        30        17        47        105      7          4          0          4            34

1991–92          New Jersey Devils      NHL    74        41        27        68        109      7          4          3          7            26

1992–93          New Jersey Devils      NHL    77        30        51        81        155      5          2          0          2            19

1993–94          New Jersey Devils      NHL    79        18        26        44        86        20        7          11        18            44

1994–95          New Jersey Devils      NHL    45        6          13        19        86        20        13        3          16            20

1995–96          Colorado Avalanche    NHL    79        39        32        71        117      19        5          7          12            55

1996–97          Colorado Avalanche    NHL    45        11        17        28        43        17        13        10        23            32

1997–98          Colorado Avalanche    NHL    78        26        27        53        115      7          3          3          6            8

1998–99          Colorado Avalanche    NHL    82        27        24        51        102      19        3          11        14            26

1999–2000      Colorado Avalanche    NHL    13        3          6          9          4          —        —        —        —            —

1999–2000      New Jersey Devils      NHL    70        17        21        38        86        23        4          6          10            28

2000–01          Phoenix Coyotes         NHL    46        10        16        26        58        —        —        —        —            —

2001–02          Phoenix Coyotes         NHL    82        16        25        41        70        5          0          0          0            2

2002–03          Phoenix Coyotes         NHL    36        6          8          14        30        —        —        —        —            —

2002–03          Dallas Stars     NHL    32        2          4          6          14        7          0          1          1          10

2003–04          EV Zug           NLA    7          2          3          5          4          5          1          3          4          8

2008–09          China Sharks   ALH    2          0          1          1          4          —        —        —        —        —

2008–09          Worcester Sharks        AHL    23        3          8          11        24        —        —        —        —            —

2008–09          San Jose Sharks          NHL    18        0          1          1          21        1          0          0          0            0

NHL totals       1,215   379      407      786      1,777   234      80        78        158      529