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This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Claude Lemieux allegedly admitted to relapsing after 12 years of sobriety the night before he died by suicide, according to an incident report obtained by TMZ Sports.
The report stated that Lemieux’s family had noticed a change in his behavior over the past year, leaving his wife, Deborah, to confront him.
After he allegedly “acknowledged” that he had relapsed, Deborah told him to leave the home at 10:30 p.m. ET, according to the outlet. He then was found hanging in the family’s furniture store roughly five hours later by his son, Brendan.
Deborah had called Brendan after confronting her husband, and Brendan came to the residence to discuss how they could support Lemieux. Brendan then checked his father’s location and saw he was at the business – he then drove there, spotted his father’s Ford truck in the parking lot and removed a firearm he knew Claude kept in the glove box due to the “emotional aspect of the situation.”
The report also said a message was found on Lemieux’s phone.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office but did not immediately hear back.
Lemieux broke into the league with the Montreal Canadiens and was part of their Stanley Cup-winning team in 1986.
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He won four Stanley Cups in his career and in 1995 and 1996 became the 10th player in NHL history to win back-to-back Stanley Cups with different teams, first with the New Jersey Devils and then with the Colorado Avalanche.
After the 1995 Stanley Cup Final, Lemieux was also awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy. In his postseason career, Lemieux had 158 points (80G, 78A) in 234 games played.
Lemieux last played in the NHL with the San Jose Sharks and retired in 2009.
In all, he appeared in 1,215 NHL games for the Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils, Colorado Avalanche, Phoenix Coyotes, Dallas Stars and San Jose Sharks.
He went on to become a player agent and, according to North State Journal, represented Carolina Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen.
Lemieux’s death came just days after he made an appearance at the Eastern Conference Finals between the Hurricanes and Canadiens. Andersen was between the pipes for the Hurricanes, while Lemieux carried the ceremonial torch into the arena for the Canadiens ahead of Game 3.
OutKick’s Matt Reigle and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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