Four-time Stanley Cup champion dies days after opening Montreal-Carolina Game 3

Former NHL player Claude Lemieux, who won four Stanley Cup championships during an NHL career carved from gritty play and clutch performances, has died. He was 60 years old.

The news of Lemieux’s death was first released by the NHL Alumni Association early Thursday afternoon, and comes as a shock to many who just saw him in his final public appearance Monday, when he carried the torch into the Bell Centre prior to Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final between the Montreal Canadiens and Carolina Hurricanes.

“The National Hockey League mourns the passing of Claude Lemieux, a four-time Stanley Cup champion and one of the greatest big-game players in hockey history,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement released Thursday afternoon.

“We send our deepest condolences to Claude’s wife, Deborah, and his four children, Brendan, Claudia, Michael and Christopher.”

A report from TMZ.com on Thursday said Lemieux died by suicide in Florida.

Lemieux was drafted by Montreal in the early 1980s, and as a rookie scored 10 goals in 20 playoff games to help the Canadiens to the 1986 Stanley Cup title. He went on to win additional Stanley Cup titles with New Jersey in 1995 (he was the playoff MVP), Colorado in 1996, and New Jersey again in 2000. Lemieux also skated for Phoenix, Dallas and San Jose in his 1,449 combined regular-season and playoff games.

In 1,215 regular-season games, Lemieux scored 379 goals and had 786 points. In 234 playoff games — sixth in NHL history — he added 78 goals and 158 points, including 19 game-winning goals.

Following his retirement as a player, Lemieux became a player-agent, and represented several current professional players, including Hurricanes starting goalie Frederik Andersen, and Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Rasmus Andersson, both still active in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Monday, according to the North State Journal, Lemieux told Andersen before the game he was asked to carry the torch.

“He’s like family,” Andersen told North State Journal in reply.

Other listed clients of Lemieux’s via 4Sports Hockey include New Jersey’s Timo Meier, Detroit’s Moritz Seider, and Hurricanes prospect Felix Unger Sorum.

If you or someone you are concerned about is at risk, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by texting or dialing 988. Or call 1-800-273-TALK. The National Alliance of Mental Illness North Carolina also offers virtual support groups and programming across the state.

This story was originally published May 28, 2026 at 2:03 PM with the headline "Four-time Stanley Cup champion dies days after opening Montreal-Carolina Game 3."