Claude Lemieux

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Claude Lemieux
Lemieux c. 1999–2000
Born (1965-07-16) July 16, 1965 (age 58)
Buckingham, Quebec, Canada
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 215 lb (98 kg; 15 st 5 lb)
Position Right wing
Shot Right
Played for Montreal Canadiens
New Jersey Devils
Colorado Avalanche
Phoenix Coyotes
Dallas Stars
EV Zug
San Jose Sharks
National team  Canada
NHL Draft 26th overall, 1983
Montreal Canadiens
Playing career 1983–2004
2008–2009

Claude Percy Lemieux (born July 16, 1965),[1] is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 21 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for six teams between 1983 and 2009. Lemieux won four Stanley Cup championships during his career, two with the New Jersey Devils, with whom he won the Conn Smythe Trophy during the team's victory in the 1995 Stanley Cup Finals. He is one of only 11 players to win a Stanley Cup championship with at least three teams.[2] He is also known as one of the best playoff performers, as his 80 career playoff goals are the ninth most in NHL history.

Lemieux was born in Buckingham, Quebec, but grew up in Mont-Laurier, Quebec. He was drafted in the second round of the 1983 NHL Entry Draft by the Montreal Canadiens and played with them from 19831990, winning his first Stanley Cup with the team in 1986. In 1990, he was traded to the Devils, with whom he played five seasons and won a Stanley Cup. He was traded to the Colorado Avalanche in 1995 and won his second consecutive Stanley Cup during the 1996 finals. During the playoffs that season, Lemieux hit Kris Draper of the Detroit Red Wings from behind, breaking Draper's orbital, cheek, and jaw bones, and sparking a vicious rivalry between the Avalanche and Red Wings. In 1999, Lemieux was traded back to the Devils and won a second Stanley Cup with them in the 2000 finals – his fourth overall. Over the next few seasons, he played for the Phoenix Coyotes and Dallas Stars. Lemieux left the NHL in 2003 and briefly joined EV Zug of the Swiss Nationalliga A before retiring as a player. In 2005, he was named president of the ECHL's Phoenix RoadRunners, a position he held for two years. Lemieux returned to the NHL with the San Jose Sharks for the 2008–2009 season, but retired again after that year.

His son Brendan Lemieux is also an NHL player, a forward for the Carolina Hurricanes.

Playing career[edit]

NHL[edit]

Lemieux was drafted in the second round of the 1983 NHL Entry Draft by the Montreal Canadiens. He played with the Canadiens from 19831990, winning the Stanley Cup with the team in 1986.

In September 1990, Lemieux was traded to the New Jersey Devils for Sylvain Turgeon. Lemieux won his second Stanley Cup in 1995 as New Jersey defeated the Detroit Red Wings. Completing the postseason with 13 goals, he also won the Conn Smythe Trophy that year as the playoff MVP.

Shortly before the beginning of the 1995–96 season, Lemieux was traded to the Colorado Avalanche in a three-team deal that also involved Wendel Clark and Steve Thomas. When the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in 1996, Lemieux became the tenth player to win back-to-back Stanley Cups with different teams.[3]

In November 1999, Lemieux was traded back to New Jersey in a deal that sent Brian Rolston to Colorado. He won his fourth and final Stanley Cup title with the Devils in 2000. In that offseason, Lemieux signed as a free agent with the Phoenix Coyotes.

In January 2003, the Coyotes traded him to the Dallas Stars for Scott Pellerin and a conditional draft pick. Lemieux ended his NHL playing career with Dallas at the conclusion of the 2002–03 season. He played briefly the following season for EV Zug of the Swiss Nationalliga A.

Retirement[edit]

In 2005, Lemieux became president of the ECHL incarnation of the Phoenix RoadRunners until resigning in 2007.

In 2007, Lemieux took part in the second season of the Spike TV television show Pros vs. Joes. In October 2009, Lemieux began competing as a pairs figure skater on the CBC Television reality show Battle of the Blades with Shae-Lynn Bourne. For one of their routines, the pair skated to Lemieux's recorded version of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah, which he sang as a duet with Kathryn Rose.

2008 comeback[edit]

In September 2008, on RDS, Lemieux expressed an interest in making a comeback to the NHL. He began the season with the China Sharks of the Asia League Ice Hockey before signing a contract with the Worcester Sharks on November 25.[4] After scoring two goals and six points in 14 games with Worcester, Lemieux signed a two-way contract with the San Jose Sharks on December 29, 2008.[5] The following day, he cleared waivers and continued to play for Worcester.[6] On January 19, 2009, the San Jose Sharks recalled Lemieux to the NHL; on February 19, he recorded the first (and only) NHL point of his comeback, assisting on Milan Michalek's second-period goal against the Los Angeles Kings. That same year, the Sharks won the Presidents' Trophy.

International play[edit]

Medal record
Representing  Canada
Ice hockey
World Cup
Silver medal – second place 1996 Canada
Canada Cup
Gold medal – first place 1987 Canada
World Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 1985 Canada

Lemieux represented Canada three times in international competitions over the course of his career. He made his first international appearance as a member of the Canadian national junior team at the 1985 World Junior Championships in Helsinki, Finland. Lemieux finished the tournament with 3 goals and 2 assist in 6 games to help Canada win its second World Junior gold medal. Lemieux was also a member of the 1987 Canada Cup winning team where he tallied 2 points in 6 games. His final appearance in international play came when he was selected to the Team Canada roster for the 1996 World Cup of Hockey. Lemieux picked up 19 penalty minutes in the eight games as Canada finished second.

Reception[edit]

Playing style[edit]

Throughout his career, Lemieux was noted for playing his best games during the postseason. Once Lemieux was called up to the NHL for good during the 1985–86 season, he played in 15 consecutive postseasons. In his career, starting with the 1986 playoffs, he played in the postseason 18 different years, missing only the 2001 playoffs while with the Phoenix Coyotes. Lemieux played in 234 playoff games, which is fourth all-time in the NHL.[7] On three occasions, he scored more goals during the playoffs than during the regular season (1985–86 with Montreal, 1994–95 with New Jersey, and 1996–97 with Colorado). Lemieux retired with 80 career playoff goals, ninth all-time in the NHL.

Criticism[edit]

Lemieux was also notorious for being among the league's most hated and dirtiest players; in fact, a 2009 TSN special entitled "The Top 10 Most Hated NHL Players of All Time" ranked him second, behind only Sean Avery. While playing for Montreal, during a playoff game against the Calgary Flames, Lemieux bit Calgary's Jim Peplinski on the finger during a scuffle, prompting the Calgary winger to say, "I didn't know they allowed cannibalism in the NHL."

Hit on Kris Draper[edit]

Lemieux's reputation for playing dirty was solidified in a 1996 incident with the Avalanche when Lemieux checked Kris Draper of the Detroit Red Wings into the boards from behind during Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals. Draper suffered a concussion, broken jaw, broken nose, and broken cheekbone, all of which led to Draper having reconstructive surgery on his face and his jaw wired shut for several weeks. This incident sparked a bitter rivalry between the two teams. Unhappy with his actions, the NHL suspended him two games, which caused outcry from some fans who felt he deserved a harsher penalty. Red Wings player Dino Ciccarelli said after the series, "I can't believe I shook this guy's friggin' hand after the game. That pisses me right off."

Tensions between the two teams would continue to rise, reaching a breaking point the next season. During a fight, the infamous Red Wings–Avalanche brawl, Wings forward Darren McCarty engaged Lemieux shortly after a fight started by Peter Forsberg with Igor Larionov had stopped play. McCarty threw one punch to Lemieux, who “turtled” on the ice, and was badly beaten before the officials could remove McCarty from him. McCarty was assessed a double minor for roughing. Several fights erupted around the two as both teams, including the goalies, fought. In the next regular season game between the teams, Lemieux switched sides on the opening face off to line up across from McCarty, resulting in another fight at puck drop.

Personal life[edit]

Lemieux was born in Buckingham, Quebec, and resides in Huntington Beach, California.

Lemieux is the older brother of former NHL forward Jocelyn Lemieux. Lemieux has another brother, Serge, who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Despite his surname, he is not related to hockey great Mario Lemieux.

Lemieux has four children between two marriages: three sons and a daughter. One of his sons, Brendan, is a forward for the Carolina Hurricanes. They are the only father-son duo to be punished by the NHL for biting other players.[8][9]

Lemieux became a naturalized U.S. citizen on 26 June 2009.[10]

Since his retirement from the NHL, Lemieux has often been a guest on TSN's Off the Record with Michael Landsberg, sharing his personal insights on his playing days in the NHL.

Career statistics[edit]

Regular season and playoffs[edit]

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1981–82 Richelieu Éclaireurs QMAAA 48 24 48 72 96 8 10 13 23 14
1982–83 Trois-Rivières Draveurs QMJHL 62 28 38 66 187 4 1 0 1 30
1983–84 Montreal Canadiens NHL 8 1 1 2 12
1983–84 Verdun Juniors QMJHL 51 41 45 86 225 9 8 12 20 63
1983–84 Nova Scotia Voyageurs AHL 2 1 0 1 6
1983–84 Verdun Juniors MC 3 1 3 4 2
1984–85 Montreal Canadiens NHL 1 0 1 1 7
1984–85 Verdun Junior Canadiens QMJHL 52 58 66 124 152 14 23 17 40 38
1985–86 Sherbrooke Canadiens AHL 58 21 32 53 145
1985–86 Montreal Canadiens NHL 10 1 2 3 22 20 10 6 16 68
1986–87 Montreal Canadiens NHL 76 27 26 53 156 17 4 9 13 41
1987–88 Montreal Canadiens NHL 78 31 30 61 137 11 3 2 5 20
1988–89 Montreal Canadiens NHL 69 29 22 51 136 18 4 3 7 58
1989–90 Montreal Canadiens NHL 39 8 10 18 106 11 1 3 4 38
1990–91 New Jersey Devils NHL 78 30 17 47 105 7 4 0 4 34
1991–92 New Jersey Devils NHL 74 41 27 68 109 7 4 3 7 26
1992–93 New Jersey Devils NHL 77 30 51 81 155 5 2 0 2 19
1993–94 New Jersey Devils NHL 79 18 26 44 86 20 7 11 18 44
1994–95 New Jersey Devils NHL 45 6 13 19 86 20 13 3 16 20
1995–96 Colorado Avalanche NHL 79 39 32 71 117 19 5 7 12 55
1996–97 Colorado Avalanche NHL 45 11 17 28 43 17 13 10 23 32
1997–98 Colorado Avalanche NHL 78 26 27 53 115 7 3 3 6 8
1998–99 Colorado Avalanche NHL 82 27 24 51 102 19 3 11 14 26
1999–2000 Colorado Avalanche NHL 13 3 6 9 4
1999–2000 New Jersey Devils NHL 70 17 21 38 86 23 4 6 10 28
2000–01 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 46 10 16 26 58
2001–02 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 82 16 25 41 70 5 0 0 0 2
2002–03 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 36 6 8 14 30
2002–03 Dallas Stars NHL 32 2 4 6 14 7 0 1 1 10
2003–04 EV Zug NLA 7 2 3 5 4 5 1 3 4 8
2008–09 China Sharks ALH 2 0 1 1 4
2008–09 Worcester Sharks AHL 23 3 8 11 24
2008–09 San Jose Sharks NHL 18 0 1 1 21 1 0 0 0 0
NHL totals 1,215 379 407 786 1,777 234 80 78 158 529

International[edit]

Year Team Event   GP G A Pts PIM
1985 Canada WJC 6 3 2 5 6
1987 Canada CC 6 1 1 2 4
1996 Canada WCH 8 1 1 2 19
Junior totals 6 3 2 5 6
Senior totals 14 2 2 4 23

Awards and achievements[edit]

Transactions[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Ledra, Cristina (25 February 2016). "10 Unforgettable Moments in the Red Wings-Avalanche Rivalry". sportingnews.com. Sporting News. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  2. ^ "Players on Stanley-Cup Winning Teams". Retrieved 2010-04-13.
  3. ^ "Stanley Cup Notebook".
  4. ^ "Worcester Sharks sign Claude Lemieux to an AHL Contract". Worcester Sharks. 2008-11-25. Archived from the original on 2012-02-19. Retrieved 2008-11-25.
  5. ^ "San Jose Sharks - News: Sharks Sign Forward Claude Lemieux - 12/29/2008". Archived from the original on 2009-01-01. Retrieved 2008-12-29.
  6. ^ "San Jose Sharks - the Official Web Site". Archived from the original on 2009-01-08. Retrieved 2008-12-30.
  7. ^ "NHL Stats".
  8. ^ PETCHESKY, BARRY (28 November 2021). "Biting Runs In The Lemieux Family, I Guess". defector.
  9. ^ "Man Bites Man: A History of Biting in the NHL". scoutingtherefs.com. 29 November 2021.
  10. ^ "Lemieux becomes American citizen". The Modesto Bee. 2009-06-26. Archived from the original on June 28, 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-05.

External links[edit]

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy
1995
Succeeded by