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This story is about suicide. If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Claude Lemieux allegedly admitted to relapsing after 12 years of sobriety the night before he committed suicide, according to an incident report obtained by TMZ Sports.
The report claimed that Lemieux’s family had noticed a change in his behavior over the past year, leaving his wife, Deborah, to confront him.
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Claude Lemieux is honored at the Colorado Avalanche’s 30th anniversary celebration of the 1995-1996 season before the game against the Florida Panthers at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, on December 11, 2025. (Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images)
After he allegedly “acknowledged” that he had relapsed, Deborah told him to leave the house at 10:30 p.m. ET, according to the outlet. His son Brendan then found him hanging in the family’s furniture store about five hours later.
Deborah had called Brendan after confronting her husband, and Brendan went to the residence to discuss how they could support Lemieux. Brendan then checked his father’s location and saw that he was in business; He then drove there, saw his father’s Ford truck in the parking lot, and pulled out a firearm that he knew Claude kept in the glove compartment because of the “emotional aspect of the situation.”
The report also says a message was found on Lemieux’s phone.
Pak Gazette Digital reached out to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office but did not immediately receive a response.
Lemieux broke into the league with the Montreal Canadiens and was part of their Stanley Cup-winning team in 1986.
Claude Lemieux made an appearance at Montreal’s Bell Center for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals just days before his death. (Photo by Matt Garies/NHLI via Getty Images)
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He won four Stanley Cups in his career and in 1995 and 1996 became the tenth player in NHL history to win consecutive Stanley Cups with different teams, first with the New Jersey Devils and then with the Colorado Avalanche.
After the 1995 Stanley Cup Final, Lemieux was also awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy. In his postseason career, Lemieux scored 158 points (80G, 78A) in 234 games played.
Lemieux last played in the NHL with the San Jose Sharks and retired in 2009.
In total, 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 then became a player agent and, according to North State Journal, represented Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen.
Claude Lemieux won four Stanley Cups during his career, the first of which came in 1986 with the Montreal Canadiens. (Photo by Bruce Bennett Studios via Getty Images Studios/Getty Images)
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Lemieux’s death came just days after his appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals between the Hurricanes and Canadiens. Andersen was between the pipes for the Hurricanes, while Lemieux carried the ceremonial torch to the Canadiens’ arena before Game 3.
