Claude Lemieux dies at 60: 4-time Stanley Cup champ won the Conn Smythe Trophy as NHL postseason MVP in 1995

Lemieux was known for his trademark tenacity and clutch playoff performances throughout his lengthy and decorated career

May 28, 2026 at 2:16 pm ET • 2 min read

Four-time Stanley Cup champion and 1995 Conn Smythe Trophy winner Claude Lemieux has died at the age of 60, the NHL Alumni Association announced on Thursday. Lemieux played 1,215 NHL games over the course of his prolific 21-year career.

No cause of death was announced, but Lemieux was just in Montreal to carry the torch for the Canadiens prior to Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Carolina Hurricanes.

The No. 26 overall pick by the Montreal Canadiens in 1983, Lemieux spent the first seven seasons of his career with the team before playing extended stints with the New Jersey Devils and Colorado Avalanche. With those three teams, Lemieux etched his name into hockey lore.

In 1986, Lemieux helped the Canadiens win the Stanley Cup at the age of 20, tallying 10 goals and six assists in 20 games. Nearly a decade later, in 1995, Lemieux powered the Devils to their first Stanley Cup with a league-leading 13 goals, earning the Conn Smythe Trophy as postseason MVP.

The following offseason, the Devils traded Lemieux to the Avalanche, and he immediately made a tremendous impact. He proved to be a key piece of the puzzle in Colorado, notching 71 points in the regular season before adding 12 more in the playoffs to help the Avs win the first Cup in franchise history.

Colorado traded Lemieux back to New Jersey just 13 games into the 1999-2000 campaign, and he won his fourth Stanley Cup that very season.

Lemieux finished his career with 379 goals, 407 assists and 786 points, but he was defined in part by his playoff performance. In 234 career postseason games, Lemieux notched 80 goals (ninth all-time) and 158 points (27th all-time).

Lemieux was well-known for playing on the line between physical and dirty -- as well as stepping over it. His 529 playoff penalty minutes rank third in NHL history, and his 1,777 regular-season penalty minutes rank 78th.

In 1996, Lemieux stepped over the line in a big way when he hit Detroit Red Wings forward Kris Draper into the boards from behind in Game 6 of the Western Conference Final. Draper's face was injured so badly that he needed reconstructive surgery, and that play dropped a barrel of gasoline on a rivalry that was already starting to heat up. Lemieux was suspended for the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers.

Lemieux ended his career with short stints with the then-Phoenix Coyotes, Dallas Stars and San Jose Sharks. His last NHL game was on April 19, 2009, in a playoff matchup against the Anaheim Ducks.

After his playing days, Lemieux became an agent, and he served as the North American president for 4Sports Hockey.