An NHL legend Claude Lemieux has died, the Palm Beach County Medical Examiner’s Office has confirmed Us Weekly on Thursday, May 28. He was 60 years old.
“He was loved by his wife and four children, and on behalf of the Lemieux family, we ask that everyone respect his privacy during this difficult time,” the NHL Alumni announced.
Lemieux died by suicide and was found Thursday morning at his family’s Florida business, Us confirmed on Thursday.
Lemieux is survived by his wife, Deborahsons Brendan, Christopher again Michael and a daughter, Claudia.
Lemieux’s sudden death comes just days after he appeared at the Bell Center in Montreal on Monday, May 25, to carry the torch before Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Montreal Canadiens and the Carolina Hurricanes.
A four-time Stanley Cup champion, Lemieux played 21 seasons in the NHL. Most notably, he spent seven seasons with the Canadiens, six seasons with the New Jersey Devils and five seasons with the Colorado Avalanche.
Claude Lemieux carries the torch during the opening ceremony of Game Three of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs between the Montreal Canadiens and the Carolina Hurricanes at the Bell Center on May 25, 2026 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Matt Garies/NHLI via Getty ImagesKnown for being brutal on the ice, Lemieux was an offensive player. In 1,215 regular season games, he scored 379 goals and added 407 assists. Over the course of his more than two decades in the league, he also earned 1,777 penalty minutes.
In his post-playing days, Lemieux has successfully transitioned into a career as a sports agent, representing NHL players such as the Detroit Red Wings’. Moritz Seiderdevils’ Timo Meierthe boston bruins’ Hampus Lindholm and the goalie for the Carolina Hurricanes Frederik Andersenwho joked about having Lemieux wear the opposing team’s Canadian jersey in Game 3 on Monday.
“He’s like family,” Andersen, 36, told the newspaper North State Journal.
After the news of his death was announced, tributes started pouring in from all corners of the sports world.
“We were friends, neighbors, when I went back to Arizona to play, you’re going to be missed,” the MLB legend said. Curt Schilling posted by X.
The San Jose Sharks, for whom Lemieux played the final season of his career in 2008-09, said they were “saddened to learn of the passing of Sharks alum and NHL legend Claude Lemieux.”
“Our thoughts are with the Lemieux family,” the franchise said on social media.
“Absolutely absurd,” the hockey writer Mike Commito wrote about X. “Thinking of his family, friends, and former teammates.”
Christine FréchettePremier of Quebec, called Lemieux’s death “a great loss.”
“Claude Lemieux, he was my generation,” Fréchette, 55, shared with X. “An amazing figure in our hockey, a player with a heart in his belly. His death seems so sudden, just days after I saw him proudly carry the torch at the Bell Center. My thoughts are with his loved ones.”
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