The Burdens of Claude Lemieux

A couple of days ago, in the wake of NHL legend Claude Lemieux's suicide, I asked what drove him to take his own life scarcely 48 hours after receiving cheers from Montreal Canadiens fans prior to Game 3 of the NHL Eastern Conference Final between the Habs and Carolina Hurricanes:

When I look at the scene in which Lemieux is greeted by thunderous applause, it is only natural to wonder what happened in the final hours of his life. 

Lemieux was found by one of his sons in the warehouse of their family business. Were there financial problems? Had he been recently diagnosed with an incurable illness? Or has Lemieux been battling depression his whole life despite being a four-time Stanley Cup champion and just decided he couldn't take it anymore? If this was the case, was going from thunderous applause to isolation his breaking point? Did he talk to anyone or did he feel too ashamed to do so?

Well, it would appear that Lemieux had been suffering from long-term depression. According to an article from the New York Post, Lemieux had been estranged from his children and was distressed that he had never been selected for the Hockey Hall of Fame. Longtime Montreal hockey columnist Réjean Tremblay also suggested, after speaking with Lemieux's close friends, that the applause he received on Monday night at the Bell Centre might have been too much to bear. "It’s possible that surge of love, that wave of love on Monday evening, triggered an emotion that was too intense,” Tremblay said, “It might have reawakened old pains, old suffering.”

For their part, Lemieux's family has announced that the hockey legend's brain will be donated to Boston University's CTE Center and has given the institution permission to release their findings. If it can be determined that Lemieux had CTE, it could shed some light on his decision to take his own life. 

Whatever their findings, it is clear that Claude Lemieux had burdens with which he could not cope. 

Things That Go Boom in The Middle of the Afternoon

On most Saturday afternoons, I like to be out of the house.

Today, however, was quite windy, rainy and unseasonably cold. So, I stayed indoors.

Then came a boom which shook the windows of my room. 

I must admit I thought the wind had knocked something to the ground somewhere in my general vicinity. 

As it turns out, I was among possibly millions of people who heard the same sound which could be heard as far north as Montreal and as far south as Delaware. 

According to the American Meteor Society, a three-foot-long meteor entered the Earth's atmosphere somewhere along the Massachusetts-New Hampshire border and most likely landed in the Atlantic. There have been no reports of any damage caused. In my neck of the woods, there were branches strewn on the ground, but this was most likely due to the aforementioned heavy winds.

I'm sure someone somewhere will try to make something more out of this than it is.

As Sigmund Freud said, "Sometimes, a cigar is just a cigar."

Canada's Stanley Cup Drought Continues as Hurricanes Eliminate Habs

Bad news for Canadian hockey fans. 

The Stanley Cup drought continues. It has now been 33 years since a Canadian team won the Stanley Cup when the Montreal Canadiens bested the Los Angeles Kings in 1993.

This evening, it was the Canadiens who were decisively eliminated by the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 5 of the NHL Eastern Conference final by a score of 6-1.

For their part, the Hurricanes will try to win their first Stanley Cup in 20 years as they face the Vegas Golden Knights who won the Cup in 2023.

Perhaps it was a lot to ask of the Habs. Aside from Montreal's Game 1 win, the Hurricanes have been unbeaten in the post-season having swept both the Ottawa Senators and the Philadelphia Flyers. 

I suspect the sudden death of one-time Canadiens legend Claude Lemieux took some of the wind out of their sails.

Still, it was a valiant effort on the part of the Canadiens who battled to seven game triumphs over the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Buffalo Sabres. 

Nevertheless, Canadian hockey fans will have to once again wait until next year. 

On Being Back in Boston for 5 Years

 

Today is a special day for me.

It was 5 years ago today that I returned to Boston. 

It was 5 years ago today that I returned home.

A home I never wanted to leave.

I wasn't born or raised here but make no mistake, this is home.

OK, I live across the river in Cambridge and am a stone's throw from Somerville.

But both cities are connected with Boston. In the case of Cambridge, it is separated from Boston by the Charles River as you can see above.

I can tell without equivocation or hesitation that I have had the happiest 5 years of my life. 

First and foremost, life at work is above and beyond my wildest expectations. When I returned to start yet another job as a law firm records clerk, I had no illusions of being promoted much less getting to go on business trips to New York or a conference in West Virginia. Yet these things happened.

Above all else, I am in a job where my word and deeds are respected and valued. I do face stressful situations from time to time, but do not feel overwhelmed when they arise. I feel confident that I can address whatever comes at me and am not afraid to seek advice when necessary. Seldom in life are one's expectations exceeded. With that having happened, I am savoring this satisfaction for as long as I can.

As for my personal life, I am content with it. While it has not exceeded my expectations, I do not feel any despair. My life away from work is more or less my own. I walk, swim, go candlepin bowling, visit Walden Pond, search for an orange cat at Harvard, take in the occasional concert and attend as many old movies at the Brattle & elsewhere as I can.

Most of these activities are done by myself which is fine with me. I enjoy my own company. But it is nice to get together with people from time to time. Typically, I meet people for lunch once a year during the spring and summer months. Tonight, I went to my old stomping grounds in JP to have dinner with my old neighbors Monica and Stef at the Noodle Barn. They were kind enough to put me up for several nights when I returned on this day 5 years ago. Given the occasion, a reunion was in order. 

Meeting new people is a difficult proposition especially as one gets older. The only person I've truly met over the past five years was a fellow named Bill whom I first encountered at a showing of Fanny: The Right to Rock. He was a Fanny fanatic when they were making records. We've had brunch a couple of times and last summer he did persuade me to attend my first Red Sox game at Fenway Park since 2018. 

While it would be nice to meet other people, I must admit I am not always in the mood to talk. This was the case when I went to the Kendall Square Cinema to see the Paul McCartney documentary Man on the Run back in February. Some fellow sat next to me and asked if I bought my ticket at the last minute. The manner in which he posed the question rubbed me the wrong way and I politely indicated I had no desire to engage in conversation as the movie was to begin. My loss? Perhaps. But there are times I do prefer my own company even in a crowd of people.

Naturally, I have had more than my share of annoyances and inconveniences. Most of these are short term and resolvable. Although I did not get to see Emmylou Harris in concert, I did get my money back when I enlisted the help of the Massachusetts Attorney General. I would also get my $100 in lottery winnings after the store from which I bought the ticket wouldn't give me the money.

Alas some annoyances and inconveniences are more serious than others and not to easily resolved. There was my kidney stone ordeal and federal jury snafu. I got through them but not without considerable pain and stress. The memory of these episodes lingers.

Another source of ongoing stress is the authoritarian behavior of the Trump Administration and the increasing public acceptance of anti-Semitism. Both things especially the latter sometimes makes my chest feel heavy and I need to make a point to slow down and regroup. 

What enables me to cope with these things is the fact that I am in and around Boston. The reality is that I would be dealing with these serious problems no matter where I called home. I am simply better able to make the best of the situation within the range of the 617-area code. 

With that, I look forward to what Boston, Cambridge & Somerville and the surrounding area have in store for me in the next 5 years.

Starbuck Blames "The Left" for Swatting of Amy Coney Barrett's Home

 

Last night, Supreme Court justice Amy Coney Barrett's home was the target of a swatting incident.

For those that don't know, "swatting" is when someone makes a fake call to police about an active shooting at a person's residence. Often the target is a public figure. The intent of the caller is to have a SWAT team deployed in the hope of killing their target. 

Fortunately, authorities quickly concluded this was a hoax and no one was injured.

What struck me about this incident were the comments of right-wing activist Robby Starbuck, a one-time music video director. Starbuck stated:

Someone tried to get Amy Coney Barrett, her kids and her husband killed last night. That's what swatting really is: Attempted murder. Cops come in guns blazing expecting a shootout. People who initiate these should go to prison for life. Thankfully, the cops talked with her security first and prevented a potential tragedy. The left has embraced evil.

I agree with Starbuck concerning everything he wrote - except for the last sentence.

Aside from being a blanket statement, Starbuck doesn't know who is responsible for this act nor does anyone else. Starbuck is making a declaration that he cannot back up. After all, there have no charges pressed, let alone been an arrest made.

Now, it is quite possible that the person or persons responsible for this act could have left-wing sympathies. 

Yet it must be remembered that Justice Barrett has become a MAGA target over the past year or so and has earned the ire of President Trump himself.

In April 2025, MAGA derided her as "Amy Commie Barrett" when she dissented on deportations of Venezuelan migrants. Others, such as Laura Loomer, called Barrett "a DEI hire."

Earlier this month, President Trump himself blasted both Justice Barrett and Justice Neil Gorsuch for deeming his tariff scheme unconstitutional and their lack of loyalty to him. Indeed, as Damon Root of Reason pointed out in June 2025, "In short, the MAGA right has turned on Barrett because Barrett is seen as insufficiently loyal to Trump."

In view of these facts, it is not inconceivable that a MAGA fanatic could be so angry at Barrett as to be prepared to set off a chain of events that could possibly get her and her family killed. 

Surely, Starbuck is aware of these facts. If he is one can only conclude that he does not care and will blame "the left" for the sake of blaming "the left."

As of right now, however, we don't know who is responsible for the despicable act. Should the person or persons responsible for this be caught and charged then they ought to be punished to the fullest extent of the law regardless of their political persuasion.

What Drove Claude Lemieux To Take His Own Life?

 

Today came the stunning news of NHL legend Claude Lemieux's sudden death at the age of 60 as a result of an apparent suicide.

Just over 48 hours earlier, Lemieux was in Montreal carrying the pre-game torch to light up the Bell Centre prior to Game 3 of the NHL Eastern Conference Finals between the Montreal Canadiens and Carolina Hurricanes.

When I look at the scene in which Lemieux is greeted by thunderous applause, it is only natural to wonder what happened in the final hours of his life. 

Lemieux was found by one of his sons in the warehouse of their family business. Were there financial problems? Had he been recently diagnosed with an incurable illness? Or has Lemieux been battling depression his whole life despite being a four-time Stanley Cup champion and just decided he couldn't take it anymore? If this was the case, was going from thunderous applause to isolation his breaking point? Did he talk to anyone or did he feel too ashamed to do so?

Of course, such questions could be asked of any of the nearly 50,000 Americans who commit suicide every year or for that matter the approximately 4,500 Canadians who do the same (Lemieux was born and raised in Canada). A majority of these people are not in the public eye and not subject to the same level of scrutiny.

Naturally, we may never know what drove Lemieux to end his life and his family is well within their rights to keep that information private if they so choose. Nevertheless, it won't stop people (including myself) from asking. R.I.P.

E. Jean Carroll is Trump's Latest Target for Retribution as DoJ Launches Criminal Probe Against Her

I suppose that it should come as no surprise that President Trump's DoJ would launch a criminal probe against E. Jean Carroll.

After all, the DoJ has gone after NY Attorney General Letitia James, former FBI Director James Comey not once, but twice not to mention former Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell without success thus far.

Trump wants a scalp and he has 88 million reasons to go after Carroll who won $5 million in damages for sexual abuse and defamation in 2023 and an additional $83 million in 2024 for additional defamation of her by Trump. But none of those 88 million reasons will prove that E. Jean Carroll committed perjury or any other crime.

That Trump is appealing the case isn't enough. He wants retribution against Carroll by launching a criminal investigation against her. 

One can only hope the courts will see through this investigation as they have with James. Comey and Powell and either not proceed with any charges or have the charges dismissed. But it won't stop Trump from trying.

And even if E. Jean Carroll is never charged with a crime Trump will always have some other target for his never-ending campaign of retribution.