Former Avs star Claude Lemieux passes away at the age of 60

A key member of the Avalanche’s first Stanley Cup-winning team has passed away. It was announced on Thursday that Claude Lemieux is gone at the age of 60.

The NHL Alumni Association is devastated to share that Claude Lemieux has passed away at the age of 60.

Born in Buckingham, Quebec, Claude was selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the second round of the 1983 NHL Entry Draft and would make his NHL debut just a few months later… pic.twitter.com/iohlATU6qz

— NHL Alumni (@NHLAlumni) May 28, 2026

Lemieux joined the Avs as the team was making the move from Quebec to Colorado. A trade with New Jersey brought him to the team for their inaugural season in Denver. He had won a Cup with the Devils the year before; he’d become just the 10th player in NHL history to win back-to-back titles with different teams when the Avalanche won the championship in 1996.

Lemieux spent four-plus seasons in Denver before being traded back to New Jersey in 1999. In 297 games with the Avalanche, the forward scored 106 goals and dished out 106 assists.

Avalanche legend and current team president Joe Sakic released a touching statement on Lemieux’s passing.

A fierce competitor. A loyal friend. A champion in every way. pic.twitter.com/lZ8Iujl5JP

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) May 28, 2026

Lemieux was perhaps best known for being a rough-and-tumble player, however. When Canada’s TSN released “The Top 10 Most Hated NHL Players of All Time” he came in second. And his infamous hit on Detroit’s Kris Draper during the 1996 Western Conference Finals ignited the rivalry between the Avalanche and Red Wings, one that would become one of the most-contentious in the history of the league.

Claude Lemieux was an integral part of the Avalanche’s immediate success in Colorado. His name is etched on the Stanley Cup four times, but the 1996 engraving is what will endear him to Avs fans forever.

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