Réal Gaston Lemieux (January 3, 1945 – October 24, 1975)[1] was a Canadian ice hockey right wing. He played in the National Hockey League for the Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers and Buffalo Sabres between 1967 and 1974.

Réal Lemieux
Born (1945-01-03)January 3, 1945
Victoriaville, Quebec, Canada
Died October 24, 1975(1975-10-24) (aged 30)
Sorel, Quebec, Canada
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 172 lb (78 kg; 12 st 4 lb)
Position Right wing
Shot Left
Played for Detroit Red Wings
Los Angeles Kings
New York Rangers
Buffalo Sabres
Playing career 1965–1974

Early life

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Lemieux was born in Victoriaville, Quebec. He played junior for the Lachine Maroons and the Hamilton Red Wings from 1962 until 1965.

Professional career

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Lemieux turned professional with the Detroit Red Wings, playing several seasons with their minor league teams, and one game with Detroit. Lemieux was claimed by Los Angeles in the 1967 NHL Expansion Draft and became a regular with the Kings. Lemieux was traded to the New York Rangers in 1969 but was re-acquired after playing 55 games with the Rangers. In 1973–74, Lemieux played for the Kings, Rangers and Sabres. In his NHL career, the vast majority of which was spent with Los Angeles, Lemieux played in 483 games, scoring 51 goals and adding 104 assists.

Retirement and death

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After being cut by the Sabres in 1974, Lemieux decided to retire and joined a steel company in Sorel, Quebec. In October 1975, he developed a blood clot in his brain and died on October 24 of that year.

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1962–63 Lachine Maroons MMJHL
1963–64 Hamilton Red Wings OHA 42 20 24 44 58
1964–65 Hamilton Red Wings OHA 48 48 40 88 64
1964–65 Memphis Wings CPHL 8 5 7 12 0
1965–66 Memphis Wings CPHL 53 11 15 26 68
1966–67 Detroit Red Wings NHL 1 0 0 0 0
1966–67 Memphis Wings CPHL 68 28 34 62 211 7 4 0 4 7
1967–68 Los Angeles Kings NHL 74 12 23 35 60 7 1 1 2 0
1968–69 Los Angeles Kings NHL 75 11 29 40 68 11 1 3 4 10
1969–70 New York Rangers NHL 55 4 6 10 51
1969–70 Los Angeles Kings NHL 18 2 4 6 10
1970–71 Los Angeles Kings NHL 43 3 6 9 2
1970–71 Springfield Kings AHL 33 14 22 36 25
1971–72 Los Angeles Kings NHL 78 13 25 38 28
1972–73 Los Angeles Kings NHL 74 5 10 15 19
1973–74 Los Angeles Kings NHL 20 0 0 0 0
1973–74 New York Rangers NHL 7 0 0 0 0
1973–74 Buffalo Sabres NHL 11 1 1 2 4
NHL totals 456 51 104 155 262 18 2 4 6 10
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References

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  1. ^ "Untitled Document". Archived from the original on 2007-06-09. Retrieved 2007-04-23.