May 29, 2026 · 1 hr 8 min · 13 segments
On this edition of 32 Thoughts, Kyle Bukauskas and Elliotte Friedman pay tribute to Claude Lemieux following his sudden passing. The guys unpack the surgical play of the Carolina Hurricanes as they…
Elliotte FriedmanHost
Kyle BukauskasHostChristianPanelist
Okay, before we get to this edition of the podcast, uh, in earnest, Elliot, I think we're all still just in complete shock here on Thursday.
Uh, for those that would've grown up watching that era, you saw how ferocious of a competitor he was.
Also, a very smart man, got into the agency business after his playing days were done.
... inside the arena in Montreal before game three between the Canadiens and the Hurricanes.
That was the most shocking thing about it, Kyle, was the fact that it came just a few days after he carried in the torch.
And when he walked in, I actually took a picture, I'm looking at it right now, of him holding the torch, uh, in one of the sections.
And I sent it to him and I said, "Looking great, Claude," and he wrote back, "Thanks, Elliot," with a thumbs up.
And there are some things that are important to say, such as the best to his entire family, um, everybody who is suffering, his friends.
Uh, there were a lot of people in hockey who he was very close to, um, and you wish them all the best and, uh, hope that they get the support they need.
But as always, uh, just if you need-- there's no shame in ever asking for help.
Um, nobody will ever look at you and say, "That person is weak for asking for help." And I know that, uh, Glenn Healy and the NHL alumni, they're launching, uh, some new stuff for the group, uh, over the next few days and few weeks.
But, uh, Glenn's another person I thought of on Thursday because he has worked so hard to help as many players as he possibly can who have retired and just try to get them into a better place.
So whether it's someone you trust or someone who has professional ability to help support you, or even someone like Glenn, who will always take your call, uh, please, uh, reach out and get the help you need.
You know, one other story about, uh, Claude Lemieux I wanted to share, Kyle, was a few years ago, uh, his old agent, uh, Pierre Lacroix, uh, passed away in June of 2021.
And, uh, he had-- Claude was asked to give one of the testimonials, one of the eulogies at the funeral.
And he called me and he said, "Look, I'm, I'm really not much of a public speaker.
Just tell me what you wanna say." And we spent about an hour on the phone, and he kinda walked through what he wanted to say.
And he-- I said, "Give me a couple stories," and he gave me a few stories, and I helped him write the speech.
I, I don't know, I didn't go to the funeral, so I don't know how much he read, but I wrote something for him and, uh, he really appreciated it.
And I always considered that, that a, a real honor, uh, in the sense that those are important things to write.
People wanna make sure they say the right things and hit all the right notes.
And, um, I always appreciated that, uh, he asked me for help with that 'cause I thought it was really meaningful.
And Kyle, as you said, the fact that we saw him carrying the torch, uh, into Montreal for game number three, it, um, it makes it even that much harder to believe.
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Okay, before we get to this edition of the podcast, uh, in earnest, Elliot, I think we're all still just in complete shock here on Thursday.
Uh, for those that would've grown up watching that era, you saw how ferocious of a competitor he was.
Also, a very smart man, got into the agency business after his playing days were done.
... inside the arena in Montreal before game three between the Canadiens and the Hurricanes.
That was the most shocking thing about it, Kyle, was the fact that it came just a few days after he carried in the torch.
And when he walked in, I actually took a picture, I'm looking at it right now, of him holding the torch, uh, in one of the sections.
And I sent it to him and I said, "Looking great, Claude," and he wrote back, "Thanks, Elliot," with a thumbs up.
And there are some things that are important to say, such as the best to his entire family, um, everybody who is suffering, his friends.
Uh, there were a lot of people in hockey who he was very close to, um, and you wish them all the best and, uh, hope that they get the support they need.
But as always, uh, just if you need-- there's no shame in ever asking for help.
Um, nobody will ever look at you and say, "That person is weak for asking for help." And I know that, uh, Glenn Healy and the NHL alumni, they're launching, uh, some new stuff for the group, uh, over the next few days and few weeks.
But, uh, Glenn's another person I thought of on Thursday because he has worked so hard to help as many players as he possibly can who have retired and just try to get them into a better place.
So whether it's someone you trust or someone who has professional ability to help support you, or even someone like Glenn, who will always take your call, uh, please, uh, reach out and get the help you need.
You know, one other story about, uh, Claude Lemieux I wanted to share, Kyle, was a few years ago, uh, his old agent, uh, Pierre Lacroix, uh, passed away in June of 2021.
And, uh, he had-- Claude was asked to give one of the testimonials, one of the eulogies at the funeral.
And he called me and he said, "Look, I'm, I'm really not much of a public speaker.
Just tell me what you wanna say." And we spent about an hour on the phone, and he kinda walked through what he wanted to say.
And he-- I said, "Give me a couple stories," and he gave me a few stories, and I helped him write the speech.
I, I don't know, I didn't go to the funeral, so I don't know how much he read, but I wrote something for him and, uh, he really appreciated it.
And I always considered that, that a, a real honor, uh, in the sense that those are important things to write.
People wanna make sure they say the right things and hit all the right notes.
And, um, I always appreciated that, uh, he asked me for help with that 'cause I thought it was really meaningful.
And Kyle, as you said, the fact that we saw him carrying the torch, uh, into Montreal for game number three, it, um, it makes it even that much harder to believe.
