Claude Lemieux Dies at Age 60, Won Stanley Cup Titles with Canadiens, Devils, Avalanche

Four-time Stanley Cup champion Claude Lemieux has died at age 60, the NHL Alumni Association announced and the NHL confirmed Thursday.

The alumni association did not share a cause or date of death.

"The NHL Alumni Association is devastated to share that Claude Lemieux has passed away at the age of 60," the organization said in a statement.

"On behalf of the Lemieux family, we kindly ask that everyone respect their privacy during this difficult time."

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman described Lemieux in a statement as "one of the greatest big-game players in hockey history."

"We send our deepest condolences to Claude's wife, Deborah, and his four children, Brendan, Claudia, Michael and Christopher," Bettman stated.

The news came just three days after Lemieux carried the torch into the Montreal Canadiens' Bell Centre ahead of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final.

Lemieux established himself as one of the best playoff performers in NHL history while winning titles with the Canadiens, New Jersey Devils and Colorado Avalanche.

Selected by the Canadiens in the second round of the 1983 draft after a QMJHL Hall of Fame juniors career, Lemieux capped off his first full NHL season by helping the Habs win the 1986 Stanley Cup.

He paced the Canadiens in scoring with 10 goals in 20 playoff games to join rookie goaltender Patrick Roy in leading his team to a championship.

After he was traded to the Devils in 1990, Lemieux went on to win another title five years later.

He scored a playoff-high 13 goals and took home the Conn Smythe after helping the Devils upset the Detroit Red Wings by sweeping 1995 Stanley Cup Final.

Lemieux was traded that offseason to the Avalanche, with whom he won a second straight Stanley Cup and sparked a rivalry with the Red Wings in 1996.

After he was dealt back to the Devils during the 1999-20 season, Lemieux won his fourth career title by bringing another Stanley Cup to New Jersey.

Lemieux recorded stints with the Phoenix Coyotes and Dallas Stars before stepping away from the NHL after the 2002-03 season.

He completed a historic comeback when he returned to the NHL at age 43 and skated in 18 games with the San Jose Sharks during the 2008-09 campaign.

Lemieux finished his professional career ranked ninth in NHL history with 80 playoff goals in 234 career postseason games for six franchises.

He most recently worked as a player agent at 4Sports Hockey, where he represented players including the Red Wings' Mortiz Seider and Devils' Timo Meier.