Claude Lemieux, 4-time Stanley Cup champion, dies at age 60

U.S. Claude Lemieux, 4-time Stanley Cup champion, dies at age 60 May 28, 2026 / 4:41 PM EDT / CBS/AP Add CBS News on Google Claude Lemieux, a four-time Stanley Cup champion whose hockey career was built on playing on the edge with ferocity and physicality, has died. He was 60.The NHL Alumni Association announced Lemieux's death in a post on social media. A cause of death was not immediately available, nor was it clear where Lemieux was when he died.Lemieux on Monday night was the Montreal Canadiens' torchbearer prior to Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final at Bell Centre."Today is a dark day for the Canadiens family and the entire hockey community," Canadiens owner Geoff Molson said. "A fierce competitor who rose to the occasion in big moments, Claude was a relentless, courageous, and tenacious player who led the team to the highest honors. He embodied the very essence of being a Montreal Canadiens player. Today we mourn the untimely passing of one of our champions. Our thoughts are with his family on this difficult day."As a player, Lemieux was a mix of skill and abrasiveness, not afraid to cross the line in the name of competition. Claude Lemieux of the Colorado Avalanche celebrates with the Stanley Cup after winning game 4 against the Florida Panthers during the 1996 Stanley Cup playoffs on June 10, 1996, at Miami Arena in Miami, Florida. B Bennett / Getty Images He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP for his role in helping the New Jersey Devils win their first championship in 1995. A year later with the Colorado Avalanche, he was suspended for two games for a hit from behind on Detroit's Kris Draper on the way to them hoisting the Stanley Cup for the first time in their first season since moving from his native Quebec.Joe Sakic, president of hockey operations and a former teammate of Lemieux's with the Colorado Avalanche, said in a statement that Lemieux was a "fierce competitor and a champion in every way.""He was also a loyal friend who would do anyth...