Hockey legend Claude Lemieux dead at 60, days after thrilling fans

He was found in the warehouse of a furniture store owned by his family in Florida at around 3am after they’d become concerned he had not come home, per the outlet. Watch an average of 3 regular season games per week, plus extensive coverage of the Playoffs, Conference Finals and every game of the Stanley Cup live on ESPN, available on Kayo. | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1. The NHL Alumni Association announced the four-time Stanley Cup-winning forward’s death on Thursday.

It came just days after he carried the torch in Montreal’s Bell Centre before the Canadiens took on the Hurricanes in Game 3 of the NHL’s Eastern Conference finals on Monday. Lemieux won the first of his four Cups with the Montreal in 1986, adding two more as a member of the New Jersey Devils (1995 and 2000) and a one with the Colorado Avalanche (1996). “A clutch player on the ice and greatly appreciated by Devils’ fans off it, Claude’s impact in bringing the first-ever Stanley Cup to New Jersey will forever be remembered as one of the paramount performances in team history,” the Devils said in a statement. “Widely respected throughout the NHL, both as a trusted agent and a valued colleague, Claude leaves behind a lasting legacy within our game that he gave so much to.” A famed agitator, Lemieux posted 379 goals and 786 points in 1,215 NHL games, but picked up his game most in the post-season, notching 80 goals and 158 points in 234 playoff matches. “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. “Lemieux forged his post-season reputation and won the Cup for the first time as a rookie in 1986, when he scored 10 goals in the Playoffs for the Montreal Canadiens. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as Playoffs MVP in 1995, scoring 13 goals in 20 post-season games with the New Jersey Devils. He also was an integral part of Cup-winning teams in Colorado, in 1996, and back with New Jersey in 2000.” After retiring from pro hockey in 2009, Lemieux went on to become a certified player agent, representing Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen and Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider. “He’s like family,” Andersen told The North State Journal’s Cory Lavalette after Game 3.

Lemieux is survived by his wife, Deborah, and four children, including son Brendan, a former New York Rangers forward. This story first appeared in the New York Post and was republished with permission.