Frederik Andersen’s Stanley Cup run has come with a heavy shadow after Claude Lemieux’s death by suicide, but teammates describe a close Hurricanes brotherhood that’s helping the goalie process grief—without letting it spill into the game, even as emotion brea
RALEIGH, N.C. — Jordan Martinook couldn’t even finish the thought when asked whether he could imagine playing an important hockey game while carrying the kind of emotional weight Frederik Andersen had in Saturday’s conference-clinching Game 5.
“No, no. I can’t. And the way that he played. the way that he handled himself… like. I’ll remember that… oh. man. ” Martinook said before stopping and needing a breath. “I’ll remember that embrace with him after the game for my entire life. And Fishy’s speech after the game. knowing that he knew that we all knew what he was going through. it just speaks volumes.”.
He tried to keep going, but the feeling got the better of him. “I can’t talk about it anymore. I’m getting choked up.”
The death that has hung over Andersen’s run is Claude Lemieux’s. Authorities say the four-time Cup champion died by suicide on Thursday.
For Andersen, Monday’s media session landed almost like a test of control. It was Cup Final Media Day. just a sleep away from Carolina’s next step. and the veteran goaltender’s eyes well up sooner than most would expect. He talked instead about what it means when grief enters a dressing room—when the brotherhood isn’t just formed by scrums and chirps. but by the hard moments no one can prepare for.
“We go through stuff in life, sometimes it’s impossible not to bring it into the room. We’ve had guys going to the birth of children. Obviously, that’s on a very different end of the spectrum. But I can’t really say enough about the way everyone supports each other,” Andersen said. “Everyone goes through stuff. And really just being there for each other — it’s cool that we get to lean on each other like that.”.
Andersen, 36, is in his 11th NHL season, with playoff-bound teams every step of the way. He played for the Ducks first, then the Maple Leafs, and now the Hurricanes—and the run has gotten deeper each time. Carolina has never made it this far.
The goaltending has helped drive it. Andersen had been given the net to start the playoffs. even though Brandon Bussi or Pavel Kochetkov would have been ready to step in if he faltered or got injured. In the regular season. the “great Dane” had a season that didn’t match his standard: he went 16-14-5. lost more games than he won. and posted a career-worst .874 save percentage.
Then the postseason arrived and changed the picture. Andersen has backed Carolina through a dominant three-round stretch, posting a .931 save percentage, a 12-1 record, a 1.41 goals-against average, and three shutouts—numbers that top all peers. He’s also saved 10.2 goals above average.
“The mind has to be right. ” Andersen said. crediting a foundation of structural work and the sharper edges gained from bonus practice days from sweeping pretenders. “I’m just in a good spot, honestly. Letting the game come to me. And just feel like I have an answer for every situation. Just playing the moment, really, it’s been a big key for me.”.
Saturday’s win came heavy. Carolina delivered a 6-1 clincher. closing out the conference-clinching Game 5. and Andersen’s emotion did not disappear the moment the buzzer sounded. Martinook said he’ll remember that embrace after the game for the rest of his life. Shayne Gostisbehere described it more plainly: it wasn’t only Andersen who felt it.
“We saw how emotional he was, especially at the end of the game. And Freddy’s kind of a calm, cool, collected guy. So even to see him get a little emotional after the win made us a little emotional, for sure. But I think as a team we helped him get it through it,” Gostisbehere said.
Gostisbehere also made sure the check-in wasn’t just about tactics or rebound control. “I’m pretty close to Freddy. I talked to him about it. just to make sure he’s doing OK as a person and how he’s doing mentally. just to make sure he’s ready to go. Hockey’s on the back burner with situations like that. So, I’m checking on the person first, and then the hockey player.”.
Sebastian “Fishy” Aho echoed that responsibility. After passing the player-of-the-game rope to Andersen, Aho’s job in that moment was bigger than celebrating a win.
“Honestly, just be there for him. Be a good teammate. If he needs to talk, you’re going to be there, all ears,” Aho said.
Andersen has tried to keep Lemieux close in ways that don’t weigh him down during play, while still acknowledging the loss. He said he thought about the grimy Cup tales Lemieux would share, imagining his friend and mentor telling him to go get it.
He’s not just chasing a personal milestone—he’s chasing what the Raleigh brotherhood carries into this Cup run, including what a championship would mean to families and friends around him.
“Looking back here, we’re in it for the ride, too. We’re not just going for the end goal here. We’re living life right now, and I think that’s really cool too,” Andersen said.
Lemieux’s impact on Andersen’s worldview stretches beyond hockey. Lemieux’s final public appearance came at the Bell Centre, where he carried out the torch to rile up a Montreal crowd that wanted nothing more than the local heroes to pump pucks past Lemieux’s original client.
Andersen said Lemieux made sure he was involved in that moment before it happened.
“He made sure to call me beforehand,” Andersen said. “I’ll share this… He made sure to call me beforehand. Lemieux told the Canadiens that he needed to talk to Andersen first and make sure his friend was on board with his holding the flame aloft in enemy colours.”
Andersen said he gave the answer immediately.
“But right away, obviously, I said, ‘Go for it.’ It’s a very big honour for a very big, storied franchise to get to do that,” he said. “It speaks really highly of how he thinks of his loved ones to ask that first.”
For Nikolaj Ehlers, the support system has a different kind of closeness—one that’s personal as well as strategic. Ehlers could have signed with several teams last summer, but he chose Carolina in part because he wanted to compete alongside another Danish player.
“Freddy, especially,” Ehlers said. “I’ve known him for over 10 years. And to come here and have him, from Day 1, was a huge help. He drove me around. He was my private chauffeur the first few days, which is nice too. But, yeah, just chitchat. You know. it’s always nice to have someone where you can speak another language with. and kind of get that feeling of home as well when you don’t get to go home during the season. So, he’s been great.”.
Ehlers also understands what Lemieux’s death means inside the group now.
“This is hard for Freddie, but we’re all there for him. We’re all behind him,” Ehlers said. “He wants to win this Cup even more now, for Claude and the Lemieux family. You could see he was playing for something more than just a hockey game.”
The brotherhood has shown itself in the small check-ins, the shared emotional breaks, and the way teammates keep Andersen anchored even when he’s carrying more than the game asks. Andersen described it as something he feels in real time.
“I just can’t thank the guys enough for the way the guys supported me the last two days. It’s been special,” he said.
Then he looked ahead—toward the moment after the emotion, when the work has to begin again.
“Let’s go get four more.”
MISRYOUM Carolina Hurricanes Frederik Andersen Claude Lemieux Game 5 conference clinching Stanley Cup Final Jordan Martinook Sebastian Aho Shayne Gostisbehere Nikolaj Ehlers Brandon Bussi Pavel Kochetkov