Claude Lemieux: Ponce de Leon of the NHL?
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The guys on NHL Network TV this morning were having fun with the breaking news regarding the return of 43-year-old Claude Lemieux to the league, more specifically, the San Jose Sharks.
Who would be next, they joked, Gordie Howe? The ghost of Hobey Baker?
Which is why I thought it would be interesting to hear what Lemieux had to say on a conference call this afternoon about his comeback and the rationale behind the Sharks’ decision. I first covered Lemieux when he was a young pup with Montreal, causing a stir in the 1989 Stanley Cup Finals against Calgary.
And I’ve interviewed other athletes after long layoffs -- hockey star Guy Lafleur and tennis legend Martina Navratilova -- and they spoke about why they would risk failure.
There are common traits, apparently. Lemieux spoke about being ‘strong-minded and stubborn.’
‘The more I heard it was impossible, the more I wanted it,’ he said, adding he went into this with his eyes wide open: ‘I know most folks would think I’m out of my mind attempting doing something like this.’
His last appearance in the NHL was in the 2002-03 season with Dallas when he played 32 games. The Sharks called him up from their minor-league team in Worcester, Mass., where he had appeared in 23 games.
The Sharks’ General Manager Doug Wilson answered one line of questioning by saying: ‘I guess my question is: Why wouldn’t you bring a player like this in?’
The once-young pest knows his role as an aging pest. Lemieux referred to himself as ‘someone who was a pain in the rear to play against’ and that he plans to bring that quality to the Sharks.
My guess is that his happiest teammate might be defenseman Rob Blake. Someone will able to say ‘Hey kid’ to the 39-year-old Blake.
-- Lisa Dillman
