Lemieux Family Mourns Champion Who Lit Bell Centre Torch Days Before Death
Claude Lemieux, a two-time Stanley Cup champion and one of the most combustible competitors of his NHL generation, died Thursday at the age of 60. His death came four days after he appeared at Montreal's Bell Centre, wearing his former No. 32 Canadiens sweater, to carry a ceremonial torch before the team's Eastern Conference final Game 3 against the Carolina Hurricanes.
The public appearance, captured on video, showed Lemieux smiling as he carried a flame across a darkened rink - an image that made the news of his death particularly jarring for the hockey world. Tributes spread rapidly across the sport. Among the first to respond publicly were members of his own family. His daughter, Claudia Lemieux, reposted a New Jersey Devils tribute on Instagram before adding a personal message. "No words to express the level of devastation we feel. I love you forever daddy. Forever your only girl," she wrote. His son Brendan, who spent roughly a decade in the NHL and played for the Carolina Hurricanes as recently as the 2023-24 season, posted a three-generation family photograph and wrote: "I love you dad! My son's favorite person is going to watch from above for a while. We will see you."
Lemieux grew up in Mont-Laurier in western Quebec and made his mark on the Canadiens as a rookie during Montreal's 1986 Stanley Cup run, scoring what became one of the franchise's most celebrated goals - a backhand over Hartford Whalers goaltender Mike Liut in Game 7 of the second round. He went on to win two Stanley Cups across his career, a résumé that placed him among the most impactful power forwards of the 1980s and 1990s. His style of play drew sharp reactions: feared by opponents, valued by teammates. Former Canadiens center Doug Gilmour captured the dynamic plainly. "He was a pain in the a-- to play against, but you wanted him on your team," Gilmour said, recalling the 1989 Stanley Cup Final.
Brendan Lemieux's continued presence in professional hockey carried forward his father's connection to the game. Claude Lemieux had also been honored in recent months at the Colorado Avalanche's 30th anniversary celebration of their inaugural championship season. No cause of death was disclosed in the information available at the time of publication. The Montreal Canadiens' Eastern Conference final series against the Carolina Hurricanes continued in the wake of his passing.
