Claude Lemieux
Claude Lemieux | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Born |
Buckingham, Quebec, Canada | July 16, 1965|||||
Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | |||||
Weight | 215 lb (98 kg; 15 st 5 lb) | |||||
Position | Right wing | |||||
Shot | Right | |||||
Played for | ||||||
National team |
NHL Draft | 26th overall, | ||||
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
His son Brendan Lemieux is also an NHL player, a forward for the Carolina Hurricanes.
Playing career
NHL
Lemieux was drafted in the second round of the
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
In January 2003, the Coyotes traded him to the
Retirement
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
2008 comeback
In September 2008, on
International play
Medal record | ||
---|---|---|
Representing Canada | ||
Ice hockey | ||
World Cup | ||
1996 Canada | ||
Canada Cup
| ||
1987 Canada | ||
World Junior Championships | ||
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
Playing style
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
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
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
Personal life
Lemieux was born in Buckingham, Quebec, and resides in Huntington Beach, California. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen on 26 June 2009.[8]
Lemieux is the older brother of former NHL forward Jocelyn Lemieux. Lemieux has another brother, Serge, who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. He is not related to hockey great Mario Lemieux.
Lemieux has four children between two marriages: three sons and a daughter. his son 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.[9][10]
Since his retirement from the NHL, Lemieux has often been a guest on TSN's Off the Record with Michael Landsberg, sharing insights on his playing days in the NHL.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
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
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
- 4x Stanley Cup champion (1986, 1995, 1996, 2000)
- Conn Smythe Trophy winner (1995)
- QMJHL Playoff MVP (1985)
- QMJHL First All-Star Team (1985)
- QMJHL Second All-Star Team (1984)
- Guy Lafleur Trophy (1985)
- Inducted into Quebec Major Junior Hockey LeagueHall of Fame (2005)
- 9th all-time in Stanley Cup playoff goals with 80
Transactions
- June 8, 1983 – 1983 NHL Entry Draft.
- September 4, 1990 – Traded by the Montreal Canadiens to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Sylvain Turgeon.
- October 3, 1995 – Traded by the New Jersey Devils to the New York Islanders in exchange for Steve Thomas.
- October 3, 1995 – Traded by the New York Islanders to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Wendel Clark.
- November 3, 1999 – Traded by the Colorado Avalanche, along with Colorado's 1st round draft choice (2000 NHL Entry Draft, to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Brian Rolston and New Jersey's 2nd round draft choice (Martin Samuelsson) in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft.
- December 5, 2000 – Signed as a free agent with the Phoenix Coyotes.
- January 16, 2003 – Traded by the Phoenix Coyotes to the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.
- December 29, 2008 – Signed as a free agent with the San Jose Sharks.
See also
- Notable families in the NHL
References
- Sporting News. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
- ^ "Players on Stanley-Cup Winning Teams". Retrieved 2010-04-13.
- ^ "Stanley Cup Notebook".
- ^ "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.
- ^ "San Jose Sharks - News: Sharks Sign Forward Claude Lemieux - 12/29/2008". Archived from the original on 2009-01-01. Retrieved 2008-12-29.
- ^ "San Jose Sharks - the Official Web Site". Archived from the original on 2009-01-08. Retrieved 2008-12-30.
- ^ "NHL Stats".
- ^ "Lemieux becomes American citizen". The Modesto Bee. 2009-06-26. Archived from the original on June 28, 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-05.
- ^ PETCHESKY, BARRY (28 November 2021). "Biting Runs In The Lemieux Family, I Guess". defector.
- ^ "Man Bites Man: A History of Biting in the NHL". scoutingtherefs.com. 29 November 2021.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
- Claude Lemieux discusses his career at The Hockey Writers