Veteran Forward Claude Lemieux Retires for Second Time

After training for months to make an NHL comeback six years after playing his last NHL game, veteran right wing Claude Lemieux has retired a second time. Lemieux began an NHL comeback this past season with the San Jose Sharks in an attempt to win another Stanley Cup. He began his comeback in the AHL with the Worcester Sharks, appearing in 23 games and scoring three goals and eight assists for 11 points. The Sharks were impressed enough with his production in the AHL that they recalled him in January. Lemieux struggled at the NHL level, scoring one assist in 18 games. He was benched by the team for the last month of the regular season. In 1215 career games with the Sharks, Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils, Colorado Avalanche, Phoenix Coyotes, and Dallas Stars, scoring 379 goals and 407 assists for 786 points and 1777 penalty minutes. He won four Stanley Cups during his career, two with the Devils (1995 & 2000), one with the Avalanche (1996), and one with the Canadiens (1986). He won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1995 as the MVP of the playoffs. Lemieux is probably one of the most hated players in NHL history for his on-ice antics, but was also a very talented winger. He could score goals and play with lots of grit all while agitating the opposition. The playoffs is where he really shined, always playing his best hockey of the season during the post-season, no matter how good or bad he played during the regular season. When I heard Lemieux was planning a comeback, I was skeptical that he would be an effective player for the Sharks, and my skepticism proved to be correct, as he did not play that well for the Sharks. Sure he provided a little grit for the team when they needed it, but his age kept him from performing well against a lot of players half his age. Still, you have to give Lemieux a lot of credit for making it back to the NHL.