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Former NHL Player Claude Lemieux Found Dead After Family Confrontation Over Alleged Relapse
An incident report states that Claude Lemieux acknowledged relapsing after 12 years of sobriety the night before his death. The former player was found by his son roughly five hours after his wife told him to leave their home.
Jul 16, 3:19 PM·1m read1 source
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Fox News reported that former NHL player Claude Lemieux allegedly admitted to relapsing after 12 years of sobriety the night before he died by suicide, according to an incident report obtained by TMZ Sports. The report stated that Lemieux's family had noticed a change in his behavior over the past year. His wife Deborah confronted him about the alleged relapse, and he acknowledged it.
Deborah told him to leave the home at 10:30 p.m. ET. Lemieux was found hanging in the family's furniture store roughly five hours later by his son Brendan. Deborah had called Brendan after the confrontation, and Brendan came to the residence to discuss how they could support Lemieux.
The report also said a message was found on Lemieux's phone. Fox News Digital reached out to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office but did not immediately hear back. Lemieux broke into the NHL with the Montreal Canadiens and was part of their Stanley Cup-winning team in 1986.
He won four Stanley Cups in his career. In 1995 and 1996 he became the 10th player in NHL history to win back-to-back Stanley Cups with different teams, first with the New Jersey Devils and then with the Colorado Avalanche. After the 1995 Stanley Cup Final he was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy.
In his postseason career Lemieux had 158 points in 234 games played. He last played in the NHL with the San Jose Sharks and retired in 2009. In all he appeared in 1,215 NHL games for the Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils, Colorado Avalanche, Phoenix Coyotes, Dallas Stars and San Jose Sharks.
He went on to become a player agent and represented Carolina Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen. Lemieux's death came just days after he made an appearance at the Eastern Conference Finals between the Hurricanes and Canadiens. Andersen was between the pipes for the Hurricanes while Lemieux carried the ceremonial torch into the arena for the Canadiens ahead of Game 3.
