Moe Lemay, a former Ottawa 67’s junior hockey star and Stanley Cup winner with Edmonton in 1987, is being remembered as an exceptional talent on the ice and a beloved teammate off it.
Lemay passed away Friday at the age of 62.
“He was an exceptional skater, and he adjusted [to the NHL] so well,” said Brian Kilrea, Lemay’s coach during his three seasons with the 67’s. “He was just a great guy in the room.”
Kilrea recalled how Lemay, despite not being heavily scouted, earned a spot on a junior B team and quickly proved he belonged at a higher level with the 67’s.
His strong two-way play soon earned him a letter on his sweater as part of the team’s leadership group.
“He … would pick somebody up if they were having a tough time,” Kilrea said. “He was one of the guys and very popular in the room, so it’s easy to get those guys to put a letter on.”
Lemay tallied 138 points in his final season of junior hockey, helping the 67’s to the Ontario Hockey League final in 1981-82.
Chris Mayberry, a longtime sports reporter and broadcaster during Lemay’s junior career, remembers when the young local player started “scoring like crazy.”
“He took it all in stride. He was never, never a boastful young man,” said Mayberry. “He had a bit of sand to his game, so he wasn’t just a goal scorer. He could get into the corner and dig out loose pucks, take the hits and give the hits.”
His play earned him a spot on Canada’s gold medal-winning 1982 world junior championship team.
A playing card from Lemay’s time with the Vancouver Canucks. (Mark Gallant)
Lemay’s popularity extended beyond hockey circles.
Mark Gallant, a longtime friend who knew Lemay from high school, described him as a “natural athlete” who excelled at golf and tennis.
“He was just always a giving guy to his friends,” Gallant said. “If he had games and guys were around town, they would get tickets for games in the NHL or the 67’s and it was good. He was a good guy to be around.”
Lemay’s hockey career took him to the NHL, where he was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks. He played parts of three seasons there before moving on to Boston, Winnipeg and Edmonton.
Lemay’s name on the Stanley Cup as part of the Edmonton Oilers 1986-87 team, alongside Wayne Gretzky and between Hall-of-Famers Jari Kurri and Kevin Lowe. (Mark Gallant)
Later, he went to Europe, where he played for more than a decade across Austria, Germany and Switzerland.
“He never took anything for granted, he worked for everything he got, and I was very sad to hear that he’s passed,” said Mayberry.
Lemay, left, and Mark Gallant in 1991, when Lemay was playing in Germany. (Mark Gallant)
His retired life was not without struggles. Living in Chilliwack, B.C., he had family close but battled in his transition away from professional hockey.
During his final years people who kept in touch with Lemay had concerns about his mental health and substance use.
“When people have that kind of opportunity … you meet people in positions where you could take advantage of things after your career, and that never fell into place for Moe,” said Gallant.
Lemay’s on-ice success came in the days when riches weren’t guaranteed for NHLers, and long before there were any formalized efforts by the NHL or player’s union to help players transition into retirement.
The NHL Players Association (NHLPA) did not respond to a request for comment for this story, but it does now have support programs in place for alumni.