When hockey fans heard that Claude Lemieux passed away at the age of 60, many people remembered the two sides of his career. Other teams hated playing against him because he liked to annoy opponents and play hard.

But he was also a great playoff scorer who often scored in important games. Only a few days before he died, Lemieux returned to Montreal.

He carried the torch at the Bell Centre before Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final. Fans gave him a loud cheer, showing how much they still respected him.

Lemieux had a great NHL career. As per the NHL Stats, he played 21 seasons and won four Stanley Cups with the Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils, and Colorado Avalanche.

In 1995, he won the Conn Smythe Trophy after helping the Devils win their first Stanley Cup. He scored 13 goals in 20 playoff games that year. He finished his career with 80 playoff goals, one of the highest totals in NHL history.

What made Lemieux special was that he played his best hockey in the biggest games. As a rookie with Montreal in 1986, he scored 10 playoff goals and helped the Canadiens win the Stanley Cup.

Almost 10 years later, he helped New Jersey again and scored the famous late goal against Ron Hextall in the 1995 Eastern Conference Final. No matter if he played for the Canadiens, Devils, or Avalanche, Lemieux showed that he was made for playoff hockey.

But people did not remember him only for scoring goals. He won the playoff MVP, but he also became one of the most controversial players in hockey.

In 1996, his hit from behind on Kris Draper started the famous Avalanche–Red Wings rivalry. After that, many fans saw him as one of hockey’s biggest villains.

A champion teammates loved, and rivals hated

That is why Lemieux is such an interesting player to remember. One night, he could score a goal that changed a playoff series. The next night, he could start a big controversy across the league.

Fans of other teams often saw him as an annoying player, but his teammates saw a hard worker who would do anything to help his team win.

When he returned to New Jersey in 1999, he helped the Devils win another Stanley Cup in 2000. That made him a four-time Stanley Cup champion. Later, he played for Phoenix and Dallas, and he even made a short comeback with the San Jose Sharks when he was 43 years old.

When he finally retired, Lemieux had played 1,215 regular-season games. He scored 786 points and had 1,777 penalty minutes. Most importantly, he built one of the greatest playoff careers in NHL history.

Hockey has had many stars and many villains. Very few players were both at the same time, like Claude Lemieux.

He won four Stanley Cup championships and earned the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. His career left a strong mark on the NHL, and hockey fans will not forget him.

What do you think? How will NHL fans remember Claude Lemieux’s legacy as both a playoff hero and a controversial competitor? Let us know in the comments.

Read more at the NHL Fan Central.

Written by

Kapil Manghnani

Kapil Manghnani brings over 4.5 years of experience in sports journalism, covering a wide range of sports, including Soccer, NHL, Tennis, Gymnastics, NASCAR, Swimming, and more. He has written for leading sports platforms, producing everything from breaking news and features to in-depth analysis, opinion pieces, long-form stories, and short-form content. Beyond articles, he has also scripted long-form storytelling videos for YouTube channels. His work focuses on delivering well-researched, engaging, and reader-first sports content across multiple formats.

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Edited by

Kaamna Dwivedi