Claude Lemieux Kills Himself 3 Days After Carrying the Torch in Montreal

May 25, 2026; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Former player Claude Lemieux carries the torch before game three of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs between the Carolina Hurricanes and Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre.

Claude Lemieux, a four-time Stanley Cup winner with three different teams, killed himself just three days after carrying the torch in a pregame ceremony in Montreal. Lemieux was sixty years old. He is one of only three players to win the Stanley Cup with three teams. He won the 1995 Conn Smyth trophy as the Most Valuable Player in the National Hockey League Playoffs.

Claude Lemieux was known as an agitator who could score at a good clip. In his 1995 award-winning postseason, he scored three goals, and he had two minor penalties. There was no sign with him of any mental problems; his death was a surprise. Do you suspect anyone you know of being suicidal?

Claude Lemieux’s Death

The suicide at the age of sixty of Claude Lemieux was a complete surprise. If you know someone who is contemplating suicide, contact the national suicide helpline: 988-Lifeline. What was most surprising was that Lemieux just made a public appearance, these days ago, carrying the torch in a pre-game ceremony in Montreal. That ceremony involved him skating across the ice with a lit torch. The team has noteworthy players from the past who do that. He was selected and participated, then three days later, he was dead.

Claude Lemieux Career

New Jersey Devils, with whom Claude Lemieux played.
Jan 3, 2026; Newark, New Jersey, USA; New Jersey Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton (7) celebrates his goal against the Utah Mammoth during the second period at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images

Claude Lemieux was drafted in the second round of the 1983 NHL entry draft by the Montreal Canadiens. He was six feet four and weighed 215 pounds. He scored 379 goals and 407 assists for a total of 786 points in his National Hockey League career. He played with the Canadiens from 1983 to 1990, winning the Stanley Cup with the team in 1986, with Lemieux scoring 10 goals as a rookie in his first playoffs. He also played with the New Jersey Devils and the Colorado Avalanche.

He is the answer to a trivia question. Only eleven players have won Stanley Cups with three teams. He actually won four Stanley Cups, one with both the Avalanche and the Canadians, and two with the New Jersey Devils. In his career, he was known as an agitator who was involved in several famous physical altercations. However, he was also a talented scorer who piled the points up in his long career.

Claude Lemieux finished his National Hockey League playing career after the 2002-2003 season. He played the following season for EV Zug of the Swiss Nationalliga A briefly, in Europe. However, he was not done in the National Hockey League. He managed to come back to the league with a convoluted comeback.

In September 2008, Claude Lemieux expressed an interest in making a comeback to the National Hockey League. He began the season playing with the China Sharks of the Asia League Ice Hockey before signing a contract with the Worcester Sharks on November 25. He scored two goals and six points in 14 games with Worcester.

Claude Lemieux signed a two-way contract with the San Jose Sharks on December 29, 2008. On January 19, 2009, the San Jose Sharks recalled Claude Lemieux to the National Hockey League; on February 19, he recorded the first National Hockey League point of his comeback. That year, the San Jose Sharks won the Presidents’ Trophy as the top point-getting team in the National Hockey League. Lemieux retired for the second and final time after the 2008–09 season.

Conclusion

Claude Lemieux scored 786 points in his National Hockey League career. He was also on teams that won four Stanley Cups, including being one of only eleven players to win the Trophy with three separate teams. He killed himself at 60 years of age, just three days after appearing publicly carrying the torch in Montreal, before the Team’s Eastern Conference final against the Carolina Hurricanes.