Love him or hate him -- and he gave us plenty of reason to do both -- Claude "Pepe" Lemieux was one of those rare athletes who could ignore pressure and prevail at the game's highest level until he announced his second retirement from the game during a Wednesday press conference.

And, he has the 1995 Conn Smythe to prove it. That, and the fact he ranks ninth all-time in NHL history with 80 Stanley Cup Playoff goals.

The memory persists of No. 22 flying down the right wing, drawing the stick back for his blasting slap shot and drilling a Stanley Cup Playoff goal past Mike Vernon (1986 Flames and 1995 Red Wings) or John Vanbiesbrouck (1996 Panthers) or Ed Belfour (2000 Stars).

Lemieux played 18 seasons with the Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils, Colorado Avalanche, Phoenix Coyotes and Dallas Stars, winning four Stanley Cups, before retiring after the 2003 season. After five years away from the game, he made a comeback last season, starting with two games for the China Sharks of the Asia League Ice Hockey and then 23 games with the AHL Worcester Sharks before being promoted for 18 late-season games with San Jose.

Lemieux's comeback didn't go the way he'd hope, the result of a midseason battle with pneumonia and a fractured jaw in early March. Lemieux had one assist for the Sharks, bringing his lifetime totals to 379 goals and 407 assists for 786 points in 1,215 NHL games, a 0.65 points-per-game pace. Lemieux added 77 assists for 157 points in 234 Stanley Cup Playoff games, or 0.67 points per game.

Lemieux made a brief reference to "some of the goofy things I've done" Wednesday in his retirement teleconference with the media and thanked them for overlooking those things when they selected him as the 1995 Conn Smythe Trophy winner for leading the Devils past the Red Wings.

"I want to say how grateful I am to the game of hockey and to everybody that supported me for allowing me this comeback," Lemieux said. "It was a dream come true last year. I'm so thankful to the San Jose Sharks for giving me this opportunity to live this dream.

"Last year will be forever and I will remember it as one of the highlights of my career."

Lemieux won the Stanley Cup with the 1986 Montreal Canadiens, 1995 New Jersey Devils, the 1996 Colorado Avalanche and the 2000 Devils. He is one of only eight players to win the Stanley Cup with three different teams and one of only five to win in back-to-back years with different clubs.

It was Lemieux who kick-started the angry rivalry between the Red Wings and the Avalanche with the 1996 hit from behind on Kris Draper, the low bridge on Vladimir Konstantinov and the sucker punch on Slava Kozlov. He paid a big price the next year when Darren McCarty beat him badly but he stood up to McCarty a year later.

Lemieux led the 1995 Stanley Cup Playoffs with 13 goals, including three game winners, after scoring only six times in the regular season. He shut down Cam Neely, while scoring twice, helping the Devils beat the Boston Bruins in five games in the first round. He had four goals in the first two games of the next series against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Devils winning in five games after dropping the opener. Lemieux beat Ron Hextall with a slap shot with 44 seconds to play in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Philadelphia Flyers and he had the final goal in the 4-2 triumph in Game 6.

The 1995 Stanley Cup Playoffs remains the highlight of his career, for reasons beyond hockey, Lemieux said.

"It was very special and I was very emotional," Lemieux said. "When I see pictures or watch the tapes, I can see my tears. My son asked, 'Dad, why are you crying?'

"I went through one of the worst regular seasons of all times to bounce back from an all-time low to an all-time high. I had gone through personal tough times away from the rink, going through a divorce. The combination made it very emotional for me.

"I was selected by the media who often were highly critical of me for my style of play, more times than not for good reasons," Lemieux continued. "Some of the goofy things I did or said. It meant a lot to me that the media would select me and for me to be the winner of that trophy. Obviously, I'm very proud of having the opportunity to play on such great teams.

"I have a picture of me, the Conn Smythe Trophy and the Stanley Cup together in the locker room and it doesn't get much better than that."

Lemieux said his comeback wasn't easy.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't question myself," he said, speaking specifically of his tenure in the AHL. "There were times, riding the bus, playing three games in three nights, and going back to the hotel wondering how much longer it would be until I'd feel the way I wanted to feel. At Christmas, I wasn't quite ready and got a little sick from pneumonia, walking pneumonia.

"I had put my body through a pretty tough task, training. At the time we did it, I felt I was ready, where I wanted to be to contribute. Unfortunately, I had an injury and didn't quite play as well as I wanted, but I was awfully proud that I did and I have no regrets."

Sharks General Manager Doug Wilson praised Lemieux for his work ethic and contributions to the development of his younger players. He said Lemieux earned his promotion to San Jose.

"I can't say enough for Claude and the tremendous respect I have for Claude and his family," Wilson said. "He showed our players -- not only in San Jose, but in Worcester -- his love for the game and how a professional trains for the game. Our players who saw this firsthand will benefit from this for years to come. He's one of the great players to play the game."

Wilson said Lemieux brought two important characteristics to his comeback.

"One, he's genetically gifted and, two, just the desire," Wilson said. "He's a unique and special person. If he puts his mind to something, he succeeds."

Lemieux was asked if his career warrants inclusion into the Hockey Hall of Fame. He showed he can live with it either way.

"I think of all the guys there who had good careers and were successful and hope some day that I can be in that great club," Lemieux said. "I've always said if it happens some day, it's an amazing bonus. And, if I don't, it's because I wasn't good enough."