"Behind the Glory: The Untold Struggles of NHL Icon Claude Lemieux That Led to Tragedy"
Added on May 31, 2026 inFree CelebrityNews
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Retired NHL star Claude Lemieux died by suicide at the age of 60. The four-time Stanley Cup champion was found hanging by one of his sons inside the warehouse of his family’s business in Lake Park, Florida.
Amid reports of his passing, people close to the former hockey player are sharing details about the private struggles that he never got over.
According to close pals of Claude Lemieux, he died of a broken heart for two “deeply painful” reasons related to his kids and hockey.
People who knew Claude Lemieux fear his suicide may have been spurred by a “broken heart” related to his career and family.
During a stellar career spanning over two decades, the former NHL star led the Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils, and Colorado Avalanche to a total of four Stanley Cups, cementing his legacy as the ninth-best playoff goal scorer of all time.
But, unfortunately, Lemieux was never inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame after he retired from the sport in July, 2009.
Now, according to the New York Post, pals of Lemieux claim that while he was a “tough guy” on the rink, he struggled with rejection and never got over the fact that he had not been given the top hockey honor.
“He always lived this as an injustice, a heavy burden to bear,” Montreal hockey columnist Rejean Tremblay said of Lemieux, whom he knew for over 30 years. “The sense of rejection ran deeper than one might have imagined. He took it very hard.”
Lemieux’s past struggles and trauma with rejection date back to 1985, when he was demoted to the minor leagues after his rookie NHL season.
Disheartened by the decision, Lemieux reportedly confessed to hockey columnist Tremblay that he smashed his own car’s windshield in a fit of frustration.
He then drove the 100 miles from Montreal to Sherbrooke with the shattered glass and refused to live in the apartment the team had provided for him.
In his final hockey appearance, Lemieux was invited back by the Montreal Canadiens last Monday to serve as their ceremonial torchbearer at the Bell Centre.
It was a poignant return to the franchise where he originally broke into the NHL as an 18-year-old rookie from Gatineau, Quebec. Carrying the traditional torch before Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Carolina Hurricanes, the moment brought his legendary hockey journey full circle.
The retired star was met with loud chants and praise from an adoring crowd of 21,000 people. However, according to Trembley, this may have been to his detriment.
“It’s possible that surge of love, that wave of love on Monday evening, triggered an emotion that was too intense,” Tremblay told The Post, while citing people in the NHL who were close to Lemieux. “It might have reawakened old pains, old suffering.”
The second painful reason for Lemieux’s heartbreak was his 10-year estrangement from his children, according to sources, which is said to have weighed heavily on the hockey legend years after his retirement.
“It hurt him tremendously,” Tremblay noted about Lemeiux’s final years. The late NHL star’s family also noted that he had been dealing with depression in the days leading up to his suicide, but never thought he would take his own life.
“They didn’t expect that at all, they never saw it coming,” Colombe Lacroix, a close friend of the family, told the news outlet. “He’s been going through a difficult time; he was depressed.”
“It’s so devastating, everyone is upside down,” Lacroix continued, tearfully. “Brendan is completely destroyed,” she said of Lemieux’s 30-year-old hockey player son, who found his dad’s body.”
According to Lacroix, the family friend, Lemieux made sure to visit his parents one last time before his suicide.
The NHL legend is said to have gone on the trip to Montreal with his sons from his first marriage, Michael and Christopher, to see their grandparents.
Lacroix, who is the widow of former Colorado Avalanche general manager Pierre Lacroix, also opened up about her final moments with Lemieux.
She originally bonded with Lemieux and his wife, Deborah, during his stint with the team from 1995 to 1999. Having recently relocated to Florida, Lacroix lived just 40 minutes away from the Lemieux family at the time of his passing.
“I held Claude in my arms, and I said thank you for being there for me,” Lacroix recalled. “He left our world too soon, and I hope he’s in a better place and that he’s happy.”
Since news of his death, tributes have poured in for the legendary NHL star from all corners of the world, remembering him for his legacy.
US President Donald Trump shared one of the earliest tributes, writing on his Truth Social page: “Claude Lemieux, a true Legend of the Game and one of the fiercest competitors Hockey has ever seen, has passed away.”
He continued, “Claude was a friend to the family, and a tremendous ‘TRUMP’ supporter. He won 4 Stanley Cups with 3 different Teams — Montreal, New Jersey, and Colorado — His 80 Career Playoff Goals rank among the All Time Greats.”
Trump then turned his focus to Lemieux’s family, saying, “Brendan, my thoughts are with you, Deborah, and the whole Lemieux family — You and your Dad were Warriors on the Ice. Claude will be missed by all who love Winning and Toughness. #MAGA President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
RIP, Claude Lemieux.
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