Claude Lemieux facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Claude Lemieux |
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Lemieux c. 1999–2000
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| Born | July 16, 1965 Buckingham, Quebec, Canada |
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| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | ||
| Weight | 215 lb (98 kg; 15 st 5 lb) | ||
| Position | Right wing | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for | Montreal Canadiens New Jersey Devils Colorado Avalanche Phoenix Coyotes Dallas Stars EV Zug San Jose Sharks |
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| National team | .svg){kind=small} Canada |
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| NHL Draft | 26th overall, 1983 Montreal Canadiens |
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| Playing career | 1983–2004 2008–2009 |
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Claude Percy Lemieux (born July 16, 1965) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played for 21 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was known for being a great player in the playoffs.
Lemieux won four Stanley Cup championships during his career. He won two with the New Jersey Devils. In 1995, he won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the playoffs. He is one of only 11 players to win a Stanley Cup with at least three different teams. His 80 career playoff goals are the ninth most in NHL history.
Lemieux was born in Buckingham, Quebec, Canada. He grew up in Mont-Laurier, Quebec. The Montreal Canadiens drafted him in 1983. He played with them from 1983 to 1990. He won his first Stanley Cup with the Canadiens in 1986. In 1990, he joined the Devils and won another Stanley Cup in 1995. He then played for the Colorado Avalanche and won his second straight Stanley Cup in 1996. During those playoffs, Lemieux had an incident with Kris Draper of the Detroit Red Wings. This started a big rivalry between the Avalanche and Red Wings.
In 1999, Lemieux went back to the Devils. He won his fourth Stanley Cup with them in 2000. After that, he played for the Phoenix Coyotes and Dallas Stars. Lemieux left the NHL in 2003. He played briefly in Switzerland before retiring. In 2005, he became president of the ECHL's Phoenix RoadRunners. He held this job for two years. Lemieux returned to the NHL with the San Jose Sharks for the 2008–2009 season. He retired again after that year. His son, Brendan Lemieux, is also a former NHL player.
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Playing in the NHL
Lemieux was picked by the Montreal Canadiens in the second round of the 1983 NHL Draft. He played for the Canadiens from 1983 to 1990. He helped them win the Stanley Cup in 1986.
In September 1990, Lemieux was traded to the New Jersey Devils. He won his second Stanley Cup in 1995 with the Devils. They beat the Detroit Red Wings in the finals. He scored 13 goals in those playoffs. He also won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the best player in the playoffs.
Before the 1995–96 season, Lemieux was traded to the Colorado Avalanche. When the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in 1996, Lemieux made history. He became the tenth player to win two Stanley Cups in a row with different teams.
In November 1999, Lemieux was traded back to the New Jersey Devils. He won his fourth and last Stanley Cup with the Devils in 2000. After that season, Lemieux signed with the Phoenix Coyotes.
In January 2003, the Coyotes traded him to the Dallas Stars. Lemieux finished his NHL career with Dallas after the 2002–03 season. He played a short time in Switzerland for EV Zug the next season.
After Hockey
In 2005, Lemieux became the president of the Phoenix RoadRunners hockey team. He stayed in that role until 2007.
In 2007, Lemieux was on a TV show called Pros vs. Joes. In this show, former sports stars compete against everyday people. In October 2009, Lemieux tried something new. He competed as a pairs figure skater on the TV show Battle of the Blades. He skated with Shae-Lynn Bourne, a professional figure skater.
His Comeback in 2008
In September 2008, Lemieux said he wanted to play in the NHL again. He started the season playing for the China Sharks in Asia. Then, he signed a contract with the Worcester Sharks in November.
After playing 14 games and scoring 6 points with Worcester, Lemieux signed with the San Jose Sharks. This was an NHL team. On January 19, 2009, the San Jose Sharks called Lemieux up to play in the NHL. On February 19, he got his first NHL point since his comeback. He helped Milan Michalek score a goal against the Los Angeles Kings. The Sharks won the Presidents' Trophy that year for having the best record in the league.
Playing for Canada
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing Canada |
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| Ice hockey | ||
| World Cup | ||
| Silver | 1996 Canada | |
| Canada Cup | ||
| Gold | 1987 Canada | |
| World Junior Championships | ||
| Gold | 1985 Canada | |
Lemieux played for Canada three times in international games. His first time was in 1985 at the 1985 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in Finland. He scored 3 goals and 2 assists. Canada won the gold medal at that tournament.
Lemieux was also part of the team that won the 1987 Canada Cup. He scored 2 points in 6 games. His last time playing for Canada was at the 1996 World Cup of Hockey. Canada finished second in that tournament.
About His Life
Lemieux was born in Buckingham, Quebec. He now lives in Huntington Beach, California. He became a U.S. citizen in 2009.
Lemieux is the older brother of Jocelyn Lemieux, who also played in the NHL. Claude Lemieux is not related to the famous Hall of Fame player Mario Lemieux.
Claude Lemieux has four children. His son Brendan Lemieux is also a hockey player. After he retired from the NHL, Lemieux often appeared on the TV show Off the Record with Michael Landsberg. He shared stories about his time playing 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 League Hall of Fame (2005)
- 9th all-time in Stanley Cup playoff goals with 80
Team Changes
- June 8, 1983 – Drafted by the Montreal Canadiens (26th overall).
- September 4, 1990 – Traded by the Montreal Canadiens to the New Jersey Devils.
- October 3, 1995 – Traded by the New Jersey Devils to the New York Islanders.
- October 3, 1995 – Traded by the New York Islanders to the Colorado Avalanche.
- November 3, 1999 – Traded by the Colorado Avalanche back to the New Jersey Devils.
- December 5, 2000 – Signed as a free agent with the Phoenix Coyotes.
- January 16, 2003 – Traded by the Phoenix Coyotes to the Dallas Stars.
- December 29, 2008 – Signed as a free agent with the San Jose Sharks.
See also
- Notable families in the NHL
