Authorities discovered other remains while recovering his body, Coronavirus: Bay Area barbershop owner who refused to shut down faces loss of business license, Tight race for San Jose’s District 4 seat could flip power on the council, Fact-checking the vice presidential debate: What Pence and Harris got wrong. Lemieux was working in commercial real estate and running the East Coast Hockey League’s Phoenix Roadrunners when he began considering a comeback. Detroit Red wings defenseman Chris Chelios will be 47 on January 25. “And I needed to do some growing up and learn what life after hockey is going to be like,” he said. Veteran forward Claude Lemieux has returned to the NHL at age 43, joining the San Jose Sharks on Monday, more than five years after his last league game. All rights reserved. We encourage you to review it carefully. Find Claude Lemieux stats, teams, height, weight, Position: Right wing A 10-trip game with the San Jose Sharks is testing Claude Lemieux’s comeback after six years away. Needing more sprint laps to keep his 43-year-old body finely tuned, Lemieux rode for 10 minutes after the game on a stationary bike in the visitors’ dressing room at Nationwide Arena. McLellan, two years younger and visibly grayer than Lemieux, added: “This is kind of the evaluation phase right now. That was the deadline for other teams to claim him on waivers after he signed a two-way contract that enables San Jose to bring him up from the American Hockey League this season. Goalie Brian Boucher was a Philadelphia rookie when he faced Lemieux in Game 6 of the 2000 Eastern Conference finals. What can we get him? Check out David Pollak’s Working the Corners blog at blogs.mercurynews.com/sharks. “I think Doug has a good feel what the club has in this locker room,” captain Patrick Marleau said, “and he wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize that.”, Defenseman Rob Blake, who was Lemieux’s teammate on Canada’s 1996 World Cup team, said Lemieux “knows what his job is and thrives more in big games.”, “You know his background, what he’s proven in the playoffs. Lemieux won the Conn Smythe trophy, awarded to the most valuable player of the playoffs, in 1995 while leading the Devils to the championship. Blake, 39, said Lemieux’s comeback had given him a new lease on his career, which is in its 19th season. Where are we going from here?”. COLUMBUS, Ohio On the comeback trail after a lengthy hiatus, he hopped on a bicycle and started pedaling toward a finish line only he can see. R Murphy 53,386 views. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. SAN JOSE, Calif. – Nearly six years after Claude Lemieux retired, he’s back to pester the NHL again. In 1995, he even took home the Conn Smythe Trophy as the postseason’s top performer. Contact him at dpollak@mercurynews.com or (408) 920-5940. It is no surprise the Sharks bit. Home; Mail; News; Sports; Finance; Entertainment; Lifestyle; Groups; Mobile; More; Ask; Sign in; Mail; All Categories. By using NHL websites or other online services, you consent to the practices described in our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service, including our Cookie Policy. “We talked about it and he said, ‘You’ve got to go with what’s in your heart and how your body feels,’ ” Lemieux said. He had three goals and eight assists in 23 games with Worcester of the American Hockey League. After the lockout, Lemieux said he had been willing to accept a substantial cut in pay to return to the N.H.L. All NHL logos and marks and NHL team logos and marks depicted herein are the property of the NHL and the respective teams and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of NHL Enterprises, L.P. © NHL 2019. To see him up close is to appreciate how much hard work factored into Lemieux’s success. “Claude will get a chance to play on the fourth line tomorrow and we expect him to provide a little energy,” Sharks coach Todd McLellan told reporters. The NHL has updated its Privacy Policy effective January 16, 2020. 1:28. Tuesday, none said there would be a problem adding him to the lineup if he showed he could do the job. "The excitement is probably about the same (as my first game).". but was talked out of it by people who told him it would set a bad precedent. “He’s opened some eyes of the younger players,” McLellan said.