The Sheet with Jeff Marek - On the Sheet: Remembering Claude Lemieux with Renaud Lavoie

Episode Date: May 28, 2026

TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie joined the show to reflect on Lemieux’s life, career, and impact on the game of hockey. Renaud shared stories about Lemieux’s legacy in Montreal and across the NHL, his playoff performances, the emotion surrounding the news in Quebec, and what made him one of the most memorable players of his era.SHOUTOUT TO OUR SPONSORS!!👍🏼 Fan Duel: https://www.fanduel.com/👍🏼 Ninja: https://www.sharkninja.ca/ninja-crispi-pro-6-in-1-countertop-glass-air-fryer-rose-quartz/AS101CRS.html?utm_source=Meta&utm_medium=Paid+Social&utm_campaign=H1NinjaCrispi&utm_content=NinjaEN&dwvar_AS101CRS_color=cdb9b8Reach out to [e-mail] to connect with our Sales Team and discuss opportunities to partner with us!If you liked this, check out:🚨 OTT - Coming in Hot Sens | https://www.youtube.com/c/thewallyandmethotshow🚨 TOR - LeafsNation | https://www.youtube.com/@theleafsnation401🚨 EDM - OilersNation | https://www.youtube.com/@Oilersnationdotcom🚨 VAN - CanucksArmy | https://www.youtube.com/@Canucks_Army🚨 CGY - FlamesNation | https://www.youtube.com/@FNBarnBurner🚨 Daily Faceoff Fantasy & Betting | www.youtube.com/@DFOFantasyandBetting____________________________________________________________________________________________Connect with us on ⬇️Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/daily_faceoff💻 Website: https://www.dailyfaceoff.com🐦 Follow on twitter: https://x.com/DailyFaceoff💻 Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dailyfaceoffDaily Faceoff Merch:https://nationgear.ca/collections/daily-faceoffReach out to [e-mail] to connect with our Sales Team and discuss opportunities to partner with us! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Let's bring Reno Levois from TV on the program. We were going to talk the majority of this conversation about the Montreal Canaan's and the Carolina Hurricanes. But first of all, Renaud was a sad day, not just for Montreal fans, but New Jersey, Colorado, San Jose, just even hockey fans. And I think of all the clients he represented in Frederick Anderson, of course, of Carolina's front and center. Just an initial thought on the passing of Claude Lemieux, who we just saw Saturday, the smile on his face and pumping his fist in the air. and 21,000 going crazy at the Bell Center on Saturday nights.

You just mentioned him, you know, pumping his fists. And yeah, that's something that even I saw yesterday and I was impressed by, you know, what Claude did. All right. We'll try to get Renaud back. He's on location right now. We'll try to get him back here on the program. And that is for a lot of people going to be the lasting image of Clod of me, seeing him with the Bell Center on Saturday with the,

with the Montreal Canadian torch and the fist held high and the fans surrounding him and cheering. We have Renault Laois back. Sorry, we just dropped there for a second. No problem, Renault. Every time someone is calling, I guess the line is getting out. So I put it on mute. That being said, that being said, yeah,

I was impressed with, you know, close reaction on Monday. And to hear the news this morning early, It was a shock. I talked to his brother, Jocelyn, this morning. And obviously, it was not a good moment for him personally. And it's a shock. It's a real shock for all of Montreal canes hockey fan. You know, before the start of game one against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round,

I mentioned that I felt like the Montreal Caneans of today look really like the Montreal Caneans of 1986, right? With a young goalie named Patrick Waugh and all the youngsters and Chris Chilios who was still a young player in the league and you have the veteran players like Larry Robertson and Bob Ganey. So I mentioned that there's a lot of similarities between, you know, what Nick Suzuki did and Matt Snessland, the last player, to have 100 plus points with the Canadians. So, and Claude was such a big part of the Montreal Canadiens in 1986. One of the

reason why they won that stand like up, I remember vividly the goal against Mike Lute in overtime against the whalers that Colts Corps one of the biggest gold in the Montreal Canes franchise and the impact that he had

you know over the years and not only with the Montreal Keynes but as you just mentioned before I came on air you know with the devils winning a consmite all the excitement with

the avalanche against the red wings. I mean, and I remember, like it was what, more than 15 years ago, receive a phone call from someone that says to me, you know what, Clough LeBue wants to come back in the NHL. It's like, Clot W. W. wants to come back in the NHL. What are we talking about here? And first thing you know is, yes, I think he went to Japan or China to play,

something like that China with a team China a team called the sharks by the way in China

and first thing you know he came back in the NHL it was one of his dream to come back and play for the San Jose sharks

and what a career what a what a personality one of you know fan favorite in Montreal

no doubt about it that's one of the main reason obviously he was at the Bell Center on Monday and receive all the love from the Montreal Canes fan

to hear the news today is not something that you're prepared to, to be honest with you. Not at all. By the way, young Chris Chelyos, what is that? 45, 46 years old back in 86? Is that a young Chris Chilis? I'm glad you bought up the comeback because I found it to be... So he plays for Dallas, and then he effectively leaves.

He goes on pros versus Joe's, which was a TV show here in the States on Spike TV, where professional athletes take on amateurs in a bunch of sporting events. And then he goes on Battle of the Blades, the Dancing with the Stars but Figure Skating show on CBC. And then after that, he decides to come back and play in the NHL. That's a part of the story that I don't think got enough attention. It's just like, what a wild way to finish your career. You know what? You have a great memory because I didn't remember.

about all you just mentioned, but it's true. Now, it's getting back at me. And that's cold in a nutshell, right? Type of person wants to prove the rest of the world that he can do it. If there's, don't tell me, I can't do it. I will show you. And I remember, guys, I know I was young back then, maybe, uh, 12, 13 years old. But when you're born and raised and even it was all Quebec just across the river and

Ottawa was across that river. The Ottawa Center didn't exist back then. So everyone in Quebec was either a Montreal canadian fan or a Quebec Nord-Eaks fan, right? Back in the days. And my team was obviously the Montreal can in. So just to read the Journal of Montreal, Montreal every day, there was probably during training Canada 12 pages, only in the journal about Montreal. Al-Qaeda training camp and Columne was cut in 85 by Pat Burr, not not Pat Byrd, so it was Jean-Pé-Hon was there back then. So they cut in after a few weeks at training camp and he's so upset that I

remember that he broke, I don't know if it was his car or someone else's car, the window of that, or he just punched the window leaving the arena, broke that window. I remember like it was yesterday and people were like my god this kid's got tons of temper but he was always playing with a lot of emotions always playing on the edge remembered a big brawl between

the flyers and the Montreal canes in Warma Oh yeah, yeah with Shane Corson watching and Chico Resch Ed Hospitr Don't forget Ed Hospital Ed Hospital

and Chico was telling me the other day I was staying at Osloch, what are you doing? Stop punching him. And the first thing you remember, you know, is there was like everyone was on the ice

punching each other. So Claude was playing like it was his last game all the time. It was a good example, I believe. Even if you can say that, that's not the way hockey should be played. You can't find any excuses for reasons not to like him, but if you were a teammate of him,

you know that you were going at war every night, and that he's going to probably bring war at you at the same time. I'd double-check my facts. That was the classic Clod having to score to his opponent's net during warm-ups that sparked that whole thing, right? Wasn't there a team that put that, like, tipped over the net to make sure that Claude couldn't do that at some point during warm-ups? I remember that being a thing at some point.

I would imagine. Everything happened. That was, yeah. Everything. That was a, I mean, that was a, that was spate. I mean, there's, this is the warm-up. So there's no officials on the ice. I remember watching this thing.

I'm like, what, what am I seeing? And the next thing, you know, Dave Brown is coming out without a jersey and no shoulder pads. And he's trying to get it in Ireland. And everyone's, it was one of the wildest things we ever saw. But, you know, one of the points, again, like, I'll come back to this idea, Renaud. We hear a lot of players say, I'll do anything to win. a hockey game. And Claude, like, normally what they mean is, I'll do anything on my terms.

But Claude was like, literally, I'll do anything. I'll do anything to win a hockey game. Like, that was, that was Claude Lemieux. That was Claude Lemieux. Yeah. In a nutshell, like, you know, what was, he was not the type of player that's got all the tools in the toolbox, right? Skill-wise, he was no Gila Fleur.

but at the same time it was tough to find a player who was playing with such emotion so much emotion and the way like I remember watching him play and he was always

all in it must have been really really tough to be Club W and the way he was playing shift after shift night after night and when you And I'm pretty sure, guys, you have the luxury like I had to talk to him after a game or before a game in a dressing room. What's fantastic about Claude?

It was so calm. Yes. Like, never raising his voice, never being upset around people, just speaking calmly to you. But when he put that jersey on, he was a warrior out there. He wanted to go against you. It must have been a pain you know where to play against Claude Lemieux. It must have been crazy. And the goals that he score over his career,

I was talking a few minutes ago about, you know, that goal he scored, you know, in overtime against the whalers. And after that, the consmite with the devils, I mean, like, it was always timely goals, important goals, important hits. he could change a game with a hit, with a goal. He had a lot of tools in a way to make the difference. A small thing about him. One of the great mysteries for me about Claude to speak to your point about his sort of serene nature.

I've always been curious about what it was like to negotiate with him on a contract as an agent. What was that? You're right, because he wasn't like, he wouldn't go berserk, but I wonder if he went berserk in the room with these GMs. You have to wonder, but he's a competitor. He was one of the greatest competitor in the game. Pretty sure that he was competing for the best deals. But we've been around the game for a long time. Personally, I don't remember someone saying to me,

you know what, Claude Lemieux is not a good agent. The way he's acting is not a real pro. That's the other way around. I never heard a bad story as the agent called him, Columute the agent. Never. I don't know if you have some, but I don't have any. The opposite. To the point where I know that after game three on Monday,

Frederick Anderson went out of his way to talk about how happy he was. And he's, I think Claude's been with him from day one. I want to say, I might be wrong. I think he's been with Freddie from the first day. And he went out of his way to talk about just how happy he was to see his agent, his friend, Quote Lemieux there with the torch on Monday before game three. Like, he was loved by his clients. Go ask all of Raz Anderson, Joel Erickson.

I go right down. Loved by his clients. Yeah. Yeah. And like I mentioned, I've never heard a bad thing. Like you can find around the game back in the days players hating Claude Lemieux, but I'm pretty sure it was music to, to his one here, right? Yeah, you can find one or two.

You can find one or two guys that might not like plowl of you back in the day. And maybe some coaches, and maybe some coaches too. And maybe some coaches too. Oh, yeah. Rennel, I know you have... Own coaches. Own coaches. Not only the opposite.

Pat Burns with the McCreary incident. Pat Burns. Yeah, for sure. Bob Burge was getting tired of him. That's for sure. I know you have a lot of responsibilities now with the unfortunate news. We appreciate you parking some time with us to Nebrun. Thank you so much, Mauna Mi.

Listen, we all think of... Hopefully, next time we're going to... Yeah, we'll talk about hockey. Hopefully. Yeah, but talking about Cloth today, I think, is really important because his legacy needs to be remembered for a long time. Absolutely. It will be.

Well said. All, Abien, merci, Moncham. Enjoy the rest of your day. Thank you for sharing these memories. Thanks. Thanks for having me.