The ice hockey world mourns Claude Lemieux. The four-time Stanley Cup winner has died at the age of 60. The news was confirmed by the NHL Alumni Association on Thursday. Information on the cause of death has not yet been published.
With Claude Lemieux, the NHL is losing one of the most influential and controversial players of the 1980s and 1990s. For 21 seasons, the Canadian was considered the epitome of uncompromising playoff hockey – a player opponents hated but teammates loved.
Born in 1965, Lemieux was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens. He made a name for himself early on as a hard worker and dangerous goalscorer. In 1986 he won his first Stanley Cup with Montreal.
Becoming a real star player
However, Lemieux made his final breakthrough with the New Jersey Devils. There he developed into one of the best playoff players of his generation. In the 1995 Stanley Cup playoffs, he scored 13 goals and led the Devils to the first Stanley Cup in franchise history. For his outstanding performance, he received the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the playoffs.
After his time in New Jersey, Lemieux moved to the Colorado Avalanche, with whom he won the next Stanley Cup in 1996. His role in the legendary rivalry between Colorado and the Detroit Red Wings was particularly remembered. The heated duels of this era are still among the most intense rivalries in NHL history.
Place in the history books for sure
In 1999, Lemieux returned to New Jersey and won his fourth Stanley Cup there in 2000. In total, he played 1,215 NHL games and scored 786 points. However, his playoff statistics were particularly impressive: 80 goals in the postseason still mean a place among the best playoff scorers in NHL history. Only eight cracks were able to score more hits in the postseason. This list is of course led by Wayne Gretzky, who scored 122 times. Mark Messier (109) and Jari Kurri (106) also scored over 100 playoff goals.
Over the course of his career, Lemieux also played for the Phoenix Coyotes, the Dallas Stars and briefly in Switzerland for EV Zug. After a break of several years, he even celebrated a remarkable NHL comeback with the San Jose Sharks in 2008. At the international level, Lemieux won U20 gold and a gold medal at the 1988 Canada Cup with his home country.
Just a few days ago, Lemieux was seen publicly in Montreal, symbolically carrying the ceremonial torch into the stadium before a playoff game. The consternation in the hockey world is now all the greater.
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