This Day in Hockey History – July 16, 1965 – Quebec Claude

Jul 16, 2019

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When Claude “Pepe” Lemieux was born in Buckingham, Quebec on July 16, 1965, no one could have predicted just how successful and (to many) reviled he would become in the NHL. As his son Brendan said in 2014, “My dad was a second-round pick; had really good junior numbers but was pretty much a nobody from a small town, but the first in a town of 5,000 to make it out of there. He did it because of his work ethic.” That hard work led Lemieux to four Stanley Cup championships with three different teams.

Growing up in Mont-Laurier, Quebec, Lemieux was a huge fan of the Montreal Canadiens. It must have been a dream come true when, in 1983, they drafted him in the second round (26th overall). After spending most of 1983 to 1986 playing for the Verdun Juniors then the Sherbrooke Canadiens, Lemieux moved up to the NHL just in time to help Montreal win the 1986 Stanley Cup. He played ten regular-season games followed by all twenty in the postseason, during which time he placed second in scoring with 16 points (10G, 6A). On the down side, during those finals Lemieux bit the finger of Calgary Flames captain Jim Peplinski, who remarked, “I didn’t know they allowed cannibalism in the NHL.”

After missing most of the 1989-90 season with an abdominal injury, Montreal traded Lemieux to the New Jersey Devils (for Sylvain Turgeon). This would be his first of two stints with the Devils, and they won championships in both. Lemieux originally spent five seasons in New Jersey, culminating in the 1995 Stanley Cup, the team’s first. Of his 13 playoff goals, three were game-winners, earning him the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. The Devils regretted sending Lemieux on his way immediately thereafter, so in November 1999 they brought him back. He turned out to still have some postseason magic because they won the Stanley Cup championship that season as well.

When the Devils sent Lemieux away, he ended up playing for the Colorado Avalanche throughout the late 1990s. In his first season there, Lemieux had a great regular-season scoring 71 points with 10 game-winning goals. He followed that up with 12 points during the playoffs to help the Avs win the 1996 Stanley Cup and in the process became only the tenth NHL player to win back-to-back championships with different teams. Along the way, however, Lemieux had his darkest moment. Playing in the conference finals against his nemesis from the 1995 Final, the Detroit Red Wings, he checked Kris Draper from behind, essentially breaking Draper’s face. As a result, Draper’s teammate Darren McCarty had a beef with Lemieux causing various dust-ups over the next two seasons. Consequently, Lemieux often has been blamed for the bitter rivalry between Colorado and Detroit. Still, during the 1996-97 postseason, he had a career-high of 23 points (13G, 10A) with four game-winners.

As Lemieux’s career wound down, he signed with the Phoenix Coyotes in 2000. Mid-way through his third season there, he was traded to the Dallas Stars. He managed six points in the postseason before their elimination. Not quite ready to hang up the skates, Lemieux spent part of the following season skating for EV Zug of the Swiss Nationalliga A.

Lemieux then, between 2005 and 2007, headed the ECHL Phoenix RoadRunners as president before participating in a few reality TV shows. Finally, he decided to make something of a comeback in 2008. As a friend of the San Jose Sharks GM Doug Wilson, Lemieux signed up with their organization. In mid-November, he signed with the China Sharks of the Asia League Ice Hockey and played two games in Shanghai to see how prepared he was to return to the game. Before the month ended, he finalized a tryout contract with the Worcester Sharks of the AHL. It only took 23 games before the San Jose Sharks came calling. “What I am most proud of was seeing him make his comeback in San Jose [in 2008-09],” his son Brendan reminisced. “I remember everyone in San Jose standing up and cheering for my dad, a 43-year-old playing on the fourth line. I think my mom cried.” Lemieux ended up playing 18 regular-season games and one playoff game in the NHL before officially retiring on July 8, 2009.

After 1215 NHL regular-season games, Lemieux had 786 points (379G, 407A) and 1777 penalty minutes. In his 234 playoff games (the fourth highest), he tallied 158 points (80G, 78A) and 529 penalty minutes (third highest). Those 80 goals still rank ninth all-time, and Lemieux’s 19 postseason game-winning goals ties him for third (with Joe Sakic, behind Wayne Gretzky and Brett Hull). The three times Lemieux scored double-digits during the postseason (1986, 1995, and 1997) were also the times he actually scored more in the postseason than he had during the regular season. All told, Lemieux played in 18 postseasons, and he is one of 11 to win the Stanley Cup with three or more teams.

Lemieux’s possible inclusion into the Hockey Hall of Fame has triggered quite the debate. Some feel that his role as an agitator and his hard-hitting style should not be rewarded. Others think that his many successes on the ice are worthy of recognition. For now, the attention has shifted to comparisons with his son Brendan. Who knows how public opinion of the Lemieux family may shift as time passes.