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3w ago

Lemieux Family Donates NHL Star’s Brain to Boston University for CTE Study

The gift will allow postmortem testing under the UNITE Brain Bank's protocols and could inform research into the long-term effects of repetitive head impacts.

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Jan. 20, 2009; San Jose, CA, USA; San Jose Sharks right wing Claude Lemieux (32) warms up before the game against the Vancouver Canucks at HP Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Overview

  • Claude Lemieux was found dead in a family warehouse and authorities reported his death as a suicide on May 28, 2026.
  • On May 30–31 the Lemieux family said they will donate his brain to Boston University’s UNITE Brain Bank and gave the center permission to identify him by name in any published findings.
  • Boston University will examine the tissue under its research protocols because CTE can only be diagnosed after death by microscopic study of brain tissue.
  • The family called the donation a “gift to science” and asked the public and media to avoid drawing diagnostic conclusions while they grieve.
  • The decision links Lemieux’s 21-season, four-Stanley-Cup career and his later work as an agent to broader questions about player brain health and could spur further research and policy discussion on repetitive head trauma.