- The Lemieux family announced Saturday it will donate Claude’s brain to Boston University’s CTE Center
- His daughter Claudia released the statement, shared by Brendan Lemieux, two days after Claude’s death at age 60
- Read below for the family’s full statement, tributes from the Avalanche and Martin Brodeur, and a video of the Hurricanes’ moment of silence at Game 5
The Lemieux family is donating Claude’s brain to Boston University’s CTE Center. Daughter Claudia Lemieux Bishop released the statement Saturday, shared on Instagram by Brendan Lemieux, two days after the four-time Stanley Cup champion died at age 60.
His brain will go to the UNITE Brain Bank, the largest tissue repository in the world for traumatic brain injury and CTE research. More than 1,700 brains have been donated to the program.
From the family’s statement:
“In the hope that Claude’s life can continue to help others, the family has chosen to donate his brain to the UNITE Brain Bank at the Boston University CTE Center for research into the long-term effects of repetitive head impacts and traumatic brain injury.”
The family also gave the center permission to use Claude’s name publicly in any findings, while stressing that no diagnosis is being claimed:
“The family emphasizes that this decision is a gift to science, to athletes, and to future generations of families seeking answers. No conclusions should be drawn at this time regarding any diagnosis.”
Tributes from around the league have not stopped. Colorado, where Lemieux won the 1996 Stanley Cup, shared its own goodbye:
Martin Brodeur, who shared a Cup and a Conn Smythe run with Lemieux in New Jersey, called him one of his best teammates ever:
Carolina held a moment of silence at the Lenovo Center on Friday before Game 5 against Montreal. Lemieux was the longtime agent for Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen, and son Brendan played for Carolina in 2023-24.
Watch the tribute:
Lemieux played 1,215 NHL games across six teams from 1983 to 2009. Four Stanley Cups. A Conn Smythe in 1995. A reputation for arriving in the biggest moments.
He carried the torch at the Bell Centre on Monday before Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final. That was his last public appearance.
Closing the statement, the family asked for grace from those covering the story:
“Suicide is complex, and the family asks media and the public to discuss this loss with care, compassion and respect for those who loved him.”
