Brendan Shanahan was watching television on Monday night when he saw his old friend, Claude Lemieux, carrying the torch of the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre. 'I thought to myself, this is great,' Shanahan said. 'He looked so good. He looked so happy. That was so nice to see.' Three days later, Lemieux was dead at the young age of 60, dead of an apparent suicide. One day smiling and waving for all the hockey world to see; a few days later, gone.
A Shocking Loss
'It's shocking,' said Shanahan, who played with and against Lemieux throughout his career. 'My memory of him, when I think of him, I think about the really sensitive, vulnerable guy we had in New Jersey. He was an incredible competitor once you put the equipment on — there weren't many like him — but he had a sweet personality, he was very sensitive. A lot of people didn't get to see that side of him. A lot of people only knew the hockey player.'
Lemieux, a four-time Stanley Cup champion and Conn Smythe Trophy winner, died at age 60. He was found by his son at the family business, according to reports. The hockey world is in mourning for a player who was as beloved off the ice as he was feared on it.
A Playoff Legend
Claude Lemieux time was playoff time. He had a gift few players in history could claim: he was a good NHL player but a great playoff performer. His game got better when the game mattered more. Few have ever raised their game from regular season to post-season the way Lemieux managed. He scored 80 playoff goals in his Stanley Cup career, ranking him eighth on the career list, just behind Maurice 'Rocket' Richard and just ahead of Jean Beliveau.
Imagine that: a kid from Buckingham, Quebec, who played junior in Verdun and Trois-Rivieres, drafted to the historic Canadiens, and on the career list just behind The Rocket and just ahead of Les Gros Bill. Lemieux was a legend of his own making. He wasn't heading to the Hockey Hall of Fame, but come playoff time, when the bright lights came on, he was as great as almost anyone who ever played.
Teammates and Friends Remember
'He had a way of disturbing things on the ice,' said Lou Lamoriello, his general manager through two stints and two Stanley Cups with the New Jersey Devils. 'His game rose. I was always amazed by how strong he was, how big his body was, and his leg strength. Everything about him was built for the big game and he seemed to savour that.'
'I have so many fond memories of Claude as a player and fond memories of the many conversations we had,' Lamoriello added. 'We had a personal relationship for a long time. He won a Cup with us, and won a Conn Smythe Trophy here, and then we brought him back and we won another Cup with him. He was a special player. I'm in shock today.'
Lemieux won his first Stanley Cup in Montreal, his second in New Jersey, and his third in Colorado in 1996, when he was central to the blood feud between the Avalanche and the Detroit Red Wings. His famous hit from behind on Kris Draper broke Draper's nose, fractured his jaw, shattered his cheekbone, and broke his orbital bone. Lemieux's Avalanche eliminated the Red Wings that night and went on to win their first Stanley Cup two weeks later. Lemieux missed the first two games of the final, suspended for the hit.
'He was as competitive a guy as you'll ever come across,' said Shanahan, who was traded to Detroit the following season. 'He and I were cut from the same cloth. Once you were on the ice, once you were opponents, you did whatever you had to do to win. If you beat Claude at anything, you accomplished something. Didn't matter if it was hockey or cards. He hated losing.'
Shanahan noted that Lemieux and Darren McCarty, who was on Draper's line, became close friends later in life. 'You know, him and Darren McCarty became close friends later on in life. He and I stayed in touch but it was different with Darren. I remember Darren saying that he never believed he would say anything like this in 1997 — but he can say it now, Claude Lemieux is my friend.'
A Personal Touch
Lemieux surprised Shanahan in 1996 when he told him that he and his wife were expecting a little boy and they were going to name him Brendan. 'I don't know if he really named the baby after me or if he just liked the name,' Shanahan said. Brendan Lemieux, one of Lemieux's four children, went on to play 307 NHL games for five different teams and played this season in the Swiss Hockey League.
The late Lemieux, who lived recently in Arizona, was among Auston Matthews' early hockey tutors and went on to become a player agent, representing Frederik Andersen among his many clients.
'We are devastated to learn of Claude's passing,' said Joe Sakic, a former teammate and current president of the Colorado Avalanche. 'Pepe was a terrific hockey player, a fierce competitor and a champion in every way. He was also a loyal friend who would do anything for his teammates and someone you could always count on. Most importantly he was a wonderful family man and there is nothing he enjoyed more than spending time with his grandchildren. Today is a very sad day for the Avalanche family and Claude will be greatly missed by all of us who had the privilege of knowing him. Gone but never forgotten. Rest in peace my friend.'
Lemieux's death has sent shockwaves through the hockey community, leaving friends, teammates, and fans grappling with the loss of a complex man who was both a fierce competitor on the ice and a sensitive soul off it.
