Claude Lemieux dies at 60, was 4-time Stanley Cup champion

Clutch-performing forward won championships with Canadiens, Devils, Avalanche


© Matt Garies/NHLI

By Dave Stubbs
@davestubbs.bsky.social NHL.com Columnist
May 28, 2026

MONTREAL -- Claude Lemieux, a 21-season NHL veteran and four-time Stanley Cup winner, has died at the age of 60, the Montreal Canadiens announced Thursday.

He was in Montreal this week, serving as the Montreal Canadiens’ Bell Centre torchbearer on Monday for Game 3 of his former team’s Eastern Conference Final against the Carolina Hurricanes, a 3-2 overtime win for the visitor.

The 60-year-old native of Buckingham, Quebec, and former forward won the Stanley Cup four times for his first three NHL teams: the Canadiens in 1986, the New Jersey Devils in 1995, the Colorado Avalanche in 1996 and the Devils again in 2000.

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“Today is a dark day for the Canadiens family and the entire hockey community," team owner Geoff Molson said. "I wish to express my most sincere and deepest condolences to Claude’s family and loved ones. A fierce competitor who rose to the occasion in big moments, Claude was a relentless, courageous, and tenacious player who led the team to the highest honors. He embodied the very essence of being a Montreal Canadiens player. Today we mourn the untimely passing of one of our champions. Our thoughts are with his family on this difficult day.”

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