Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen was playing with a heavy heart in Game 5 after the death of his agent, four-time Stanley Cup winner Claude Lemieux.
Andersen came up with one of his better efforts of the Eastern Conference finals, stopping 23 shots in a 6-1 win that sent the Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2006. It’s also Andersen’s first trip.
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“I can’t talk enough good things about this team and the way they’ve supported me,” he told TNT. “It’s been awesome.”
Lemieux died at 60 on Thursday, three days after he took part in the Canadiens’ torch-bearing ceremony before Game 3 at Montreal‘s Bell Centre.
Though Lemieux identified with the Canadiens as the team that drafted him and where he won his first Stanley Cup as a rookie, he had ties with the Hurricanes. In addition to having Andersen as a client, his son Brendan played for Carolina during the 2023-24 season. The Hurricanes paid tribute to Claude Lemieux before Friday’s game.
Asked what Lemieux would say if he were still here, Andersen told TNT that his agent would tell him, “Just go get it.”
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“He’s the ultimate competitor and he’s got the biggest heart,” the goalie said. “He wanted so much for me and this team.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Frederik Andersen wins clinching Game 5 while mourning Claude Lemieux
