Lemieux's 'adventure' comes to an end

Claude Lemieux(notes) is retired from hockey. No, he really is done this time. Go ahead, Detroit, exhale.

Lemieux spent 20 minutes during a conference call on Wednesday thanking everyone on the call, thanking everyone with interest in covering his announcement and thanking everyone in the San Jose Sharks' organization from ownership down to the stick boy.

And with that, possibly the most strange and out-of-left field story of the year has closure.

Eight days shy of his 44th birthday, Lemieux formally announced he's done with a game in which he played 21 seasons for the Canadiens, Devils, Avalanche, Coyotes, Stars and Sharks – the final 18 games of his career with San Jose following a five-year hiatus from the sport.

Lemieux expanded on the reasons for his return on Wednesday. He said he had a number of regrets when he stepped away after splitting 68 games between Dallas and Phoenix in 2002-03. His 13-year-old son, Brendan, an aspiring hockey player in his own right, provided much of the inspiration.

"A big part was for him and my family, my four kids and wife," Lemieux said. "It was really a family sort of adventure that we attempted together. We're proud that we did it, it was a lot of fun and it will never be the same again."

Sharks general manager Doug Wilson remembers exactly how the adventure started. He visited the family home in suburban Phoenix and felt the passion the moment he started talking to Lemieux.

"When we met with him in Phoenix, we didn't give him anything, we just opened the door," Wilson said.

That door was not to the San Jose locker room, far from it. Lemieux reported to the China Sharks, an Asian-league start-up the San Jose franchise owns. Talk about having to earn your stripes. Lemieux passed the initial test, both for himself and the organization, to earn a tryout deal with Worcester of the AHL.

There were no guarantees with the Sharks' top minor-league affiliate either. If anything, Wilson would pooh-pooh any suggestions that Lemieux would realize his far-fetched comeback attempt in San Jose. He made it sound like his team really had little interest in the veteran.

But with each phone call and every visit to Worcester, Wilson saw firsthand the commitment to training, the passion for the game. He heard the constant raves of the team's coaching staff about Lemieux, who admitted it wasn't easy.

"There were times riding the bus and playing three games in four nights, and after playing that third game I wondered how much longer it will be before I feel the way I want to feel," he said.

Lemieux had a target – the Christmas holidays – to be in position for a call-up, but he didn't make it. Instead, Lemieux was suffering from walking pneumonia, and the dream was definitely in doubt.

"I had put my body through a pretty tough task," Lemieux admitted.

Lemieux fended off the illness, however, and was signed by San Jose on Dec. 29. The call came shortly thereafter and he made his first appearance in a Sharks game on Jan. 20 vs. Vancouver.

Nine days later Lemieux played in his 1,200th career game and Feb. 20 vs. Los Angeles he registered his first NHL point since March 9, 2003, while with Dallas. That assist, however, would be the only point along with 21 penalty minutes Lemieux would collect during his return.

"His love for the game was truly evident this year and completing a successful return to the NHL revealed his true passion for hockey," Wilson said. "The players in our organization in San Jose and Worcester will reap the benefits of having him as a teammate for years to come."

"I had put my body through a pretty tough task."

Claude Lemieux

If making the comeback was Lemieux's happy ending, that would be one thing, but all things did not work out as well as he would have liked. Besides the disappointment of another early playoff ouster for the Sharks, Lemieux was forced to watch from the sidelines because of a late-season injury.

Lemieux fractured his jaw late in the regular season and it took longer to repair than expected. Just like that, it was all over … again.

"Many people will think the main highlights of my career will be the Stanley Cups, the Conn Smythe Trophy and Canada Cup," Lemieux said. "But to me and my family, coming back and playing in my first game in San Jose will be remembered as one of the great highlights of my career."

Lemieux has hinted that coaching is in his future, but he said he doesn't think that will happen during the upcoming season. He talked about having moved his family around a lot of late and not wanting to take them out of school again.

And then there's the matter of young Brendan, who his dad called a "good little hockey player." Wilson, too, hinted at the expectation of seeing Brendan Lemieux follow in Claude's footsteps.

One chapter closes. And a new one opens.