Brodeur remembers – Martin Brodeur said the loss of Claude Lemieux—who died Thursday at age 60—has left a “big hole” in the New Jersey Devils community, recalling the forward’s “big heart” despite his hard-nosed reputation.
The hockey world is still coming to grips with the shock of Claude Lemieux’s passing. The former four-time Stanley Cup-winning forward died on Thursday at the age of 60.
For Martin Brodeur, the grief feels personal and immediate. Speaking via Sportsnet on X, the longtime New Jersey Devils goaltender said it has been only “36 hours,” yet the absence is already being felt across the organization and among the people who lived Lemieux’s story alongside them.
“Obviously, it leaves a big hole in the Devils community, and for myself, having played with Claude for lots of years, won two Stanley Cups with him,” Brodeur said. “It’s kind of surreal a little bit.”
Brodeur explained how quickly the old Bonds reappeared in the hours after the news. He said he and his former Devils teammates from 1995 and some from 2000 found a way to connect—putting together a group text to talk about Lemieux’s life and what he meant to them.
“We took time to get to 12 hours yesterday to get all of our team from 1995 and some from 2000 to get together on a group text and talk about Claude’s life. and what he meant for us. ” Brodeur said. “It’s something as a hockey player. you don’t deal with too often. but when it comes so close. it doesn’t just affect you personally. but those around you.”.
Brodeur’s memory of Lemieux carried a particular contrast: the reputation many people saw on the ice versus the person he says teammates knew.
“I think Claude, everyone who knows him as a hockey player, almost as a villain, but he had a big heart,” Brodeur said.
“He had such a big heart.”
Brodeur and Lemieux shared the ice as Devils teammates during two Stanley Cup runs. Together, they won the Stanley Cup in 1995 and 2000. Lemieux, who was also from Montreal like Brodeur, built a Cup résumé that stretched beyond New Jersey.
Before and after his Devils years, Lemieux won the Stanley Cup with the Montreal Canadiens in 1986 and then added another championship with the Colorado Avalanche in 1996.
Lemieux also carved out a lasting mark in the NHL’s postseason. He still ranks ninth all-time in NHL history with 80 postseason goals. After his playing career, Lemieux became an NHLPA-certified player agent.
Now. as tributes continue to pour in from across the sport—coming from former teammates and from players who faced him—Brodeur’s words capture what many are struggling to process: a legacy measured in trophies and numbers. and a personality teammates insist didn’t fit the label people sometimes used for him during his career.
Claude Lemieux Martin Brodeur New Jersey Devils Stanley Cup NHLPA certified player agent Montreal Canadiens Colorado Avalanche 1995 Devils 2000 Devils