Claude Lemieux’s impact is still being felt on hockey.
The former NHL forward, dead at the age of 60 by apparent suicide Thursday, remained a big figure in the sport long after his last game in 2009 as a player agent.
Lemieux, a longtime agitator and big-game performer, represented several of today’s biggest stars, including the likes of Devils forward Timo Meier and Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen.
“Rest in peace Pepi,” Meier wrote on his Instagram story, referencing the nickname Lemieux received as a rookie with the Montreal Canadiens in 1983, short for “Pepe Le Pew,” the amorous cartoon skunk.
“Gone too soon.”
The news of Lemieux’s death — he was reportedly found in a warehouse of his family’s furniture store in Florida by one of his sons — was all the more surprising due to the fact that just three days prior, he was honored by the Canadiens as a torchbearer ahead of their Game 3 against the Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference finals.
With Andersen set to tend goal for the Hurricanes that night, Lemieux reached out to the goalie to let him know he was tapped to help fire up the opposing team’s home crowd at the Bell Center.
“He’s like family,” Andersen told the North State Journal, noting it was a big deal for the entire Lemieux family for its patriarch to be honored.
Andersen’s pursuit of the Stanley Cup continues with a heavy heart, as does Meier’s run at the IIHF World Championships with Switzerland.
Lemieux, a four-time Stanley Cup winner, also counted Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider and Bruins blueliner Hampus Lindholm among his clientele as the President Hockey North America for 4Sports Hockey, with 17 active contracts totaling nearly $355 million in value, per PuckPedia.
“Claude was so much more to us than just a member of the 4sports family,” the agency wrote in an Instagram post. “He was a truly special person, a trusted friend, an inspiring leader, an exceptional and very successful agent, and someone who touched all of our lives with his kindness, loyalty, strength, and generosity. His presence shaped not only our company, but also the people around him in so many meaningful ways.
“We all deeply respected, appreciated, and loved him. The memories, the laughter, the friendship, and the inspiration he gave us will remain with us forever.”