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Claude Lemieux (July 16, 1965–May 28, 2026) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played 21 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for six clubs between 1983 and 2009.
Throughout his career, Lemieux earned four Stanley Cup championships, including two with the New Jersey Devils, for whom he won the Conn Smythe Trophy during the team’s victory in the 1995 Stanley Cup Final.
He was one of 11 players who won the Stanley Cup with at least three separate teams. He is also regarded as one of the best playoff performers, with 80 career playoff goals, the sixth most in NHL history.
In 1999, Lemieux was moved back to the Devils, where he won his fourth Stanley Cup in the 2000 Cup Final. He spent the next couple seasons with the Phoenix Coyotes and the Dallas Stars.
After leaving the NHL in 2003, Lemieux temporarily played for EV Zug in the Swiss Nationalliga A before retiring. He was named president of the Phoenix RoadRunners of the ECHL in 2005 and served in that capacity for two years. Lemieux returned to the NHL with the San Jose Sharks in 2008-2009, but retired after that season.
Brendan Lemieux, his son, is also a former NHL player who now plays for Swiss National League club HC Davos.
Claude Lemieux died on May 28th, 2026 and the cause of his death was revealed to be suicide.
Claude Lemieux Biography
Claude Percy Lemieux was born in Buckingham, Quebec, on July 16, 1965. He lived in Huntington Beach, California. On June 26, 2009, Lemieux became a naturalized US citizen.
He was the older brother of Jocelyn Lemieux, a former NHL forward. Lemieux has another sibling, Serge, who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. He was not related to Hockey Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux.
Career
The Montreal Canadiens drafted Lemieux in the second round of the 1983 NHL Entry Draft. He was a member of the Montreal Canadiens from 1983 to 1990, and he won the Stanley Cup with them in 1986.
In September 1990, Lemieux was traded to the New Jersey Devils for Sylvain Turgeon. Lemieux won his second Stanley Cup in 1995, when the New Jersey Devils defeated the Detroit Red Wings.
He finished the tournament with 13 goals and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP that year. Shortly before the start of the 1995-96 season, Lemieux was dealt to the Colorado Avalanche as part of a three-team deal that included Wendel Clark and Steve Thomas.
When the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in 1996, Lemieux became the tenth player to win consecutive Stanley Cups with separate teams.
Lemieux was moved back to New Jersey in November 1999, along with Brian Rolston, who was dealt to Colorado. He won his fourth and final Stanley Cup championship with the Devils in 2000. That offseason, Lemieux signed as a free agent with the Phoenix Coyotes.
In January 2003, the Coyotes sold him to the Dallas Stars in exchange for Scott Pellerin and a conditional draft selection. Lemieux’s NHL career came to an end with Dallas during the 2002-03 season.
The next season, he played briefly for EV Zug in the Swiss Nationalliga A. Lemieux was president of the Phoenix RoadRunners of the ECHL from 2005 until his resignation in 2007.
In 2007, Lemieux appeared in the second season of the Spike TV show Pros vs. Joes. In October 2009, Lemieux and Shae-Lynn Bourne began competing as pairs figure skaters on the CBC Television reality show Battle of the Blades.
One of their performances included skating to Lemieux’s recorded version of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah, which he sang as a duet with Kathryn Rose.
In September 2008, on RDS, Lemieux showed an interest in returning to the NHL. He started the season with the China Sharks of the Asia League Ice Hockey before signing with the Worcester Sharks on November 25th.
On December 29, 2008, after collecting two goals and six points in 14 games for Worcester, Lemieux signed a two-way deal with the San Jose Sharks. The next day, he passed waivers and resumed to play for Worcester.
On January 19, 2009, the San Jose Sharks recalled Lemieux to the NHL; on February 19, he assisted on Milan Michalek’s second-period goal against the Los Angeles Kings, his first (and only) NHL point since his return. That same season, the Sharks won the Presidents’ Trophy.
Awards
- QMJHL Second All-Star Team (1984)
- QMJHL Playoff MVP (1985)
- QMJHL First All-Star Team (1985)
- Guy Lafleur Trophy (1985)
- Conn Smythe Trophy winner (1995)
- 4x Stanley Cup champion (1986, 1995, 1996, 2000)
- Inducted into Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Hall of Fame (2005)
- 9th all-time in Stanley Cup playoff goals (80).
Claude Lemieux Wife and Children
Lemieux has four children from two marriages, three sons and one girl. His son Brendan was an NHL forward who spent seven seasons with five different organizations. They are the first father-son combo to have been punished by the NHL for biting fellow players.
Cause of Death
Lemieux died on May 28, 2026, at the age of sixty. His body was discovered in the furniture store he owned in Lake Park, Florida, and it was concluded that he had committed suicide.
His final public appearance came on May 25, 2026, during the pre-game ceremonies for the Montreal Canadiens playoff game, where he served as the torch bearer.
Claude Lemieux Net Worth
Claude Lemieux made a lot of money throughout his 21-season NHL career, which included stints with the Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils, and Colorado Avalanche, among others. Throughout his career, he earned around $22.36 million, which is comparable to nearly $43.95 million in today’s values after accounting for inflation.
Despite these lifetime earnings, his current net worth is estimated to be $5 million, which includes taxes, living expenditures, and post-retirement financial management.