In late May, the hockey community lost four-time Stanley Cup champion Claude Lemieux at the age of 60. Nearly two months later, new details about his death were shared with the public.
Lemieux, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1995, played for the Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils, Colorado Avalanche, Phoenix Coyotes, Dallas Stars and San Jose Sharks during his NHL career. He racked up 379 goals and 407 assists on the ice before retiring in 2009.
TMZ Sports reported in May that Lemieux’s death came by suicide. He was reportedly found in the morning at a business in Florida.
According to TMZ, Lemieux's wife, Deborah, confronted him about his sobriety just hours before he passed away. The former NHL star allegedly relapsed after 12 years of sobriety.
"When Claude's wife, Deborah, confronted him on May 27 about her concerns, the report states he acknowledged he relapsed … and Deborah told him to leave the home at 10:30 PM. Deborah then called Brendan ... and he ultimately made his way to their residence to discuss how they can support Claude," TMZ reported. "Later in the evening, Brendan checked Claude's location on his phone and noticed he was at the family business ... so he drove over and located his dad's Ford truck in the parking lot. ... When Brendan entered the warehouse of the business, he located his father and called 911 at 3:24 AM. Claude was pronounced dead minutes later."
The authorities reportedly found a bag of THC edibles in the vicinity of Lemieux. However, the toxicology report came back negative for substances in his system.
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Gone too soon.
As you'd imagine, hockey fans and players are still mourning the loss of Lemieux.
“Today is a dark day for the Canadiens family and the entire hockey community,” Canadiens owner Geoff Molson said when Lemieux passed away. “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.”
Our thoughts remain with Lemieux's loved ones.
