Brendan Lemieux speaks out against reports detailing his father's passing.

The hockey world was left stunned by the sudden and unexpected passing of long time National Hockey League player turned NHL player agent Claude Lemieux earlier this summer, and unfortunately an already sad story took another sad turn last week when several reports regarding the details of Lemieux's passing made their way online.

Several claims about that fateful day were made in those reports, claims that the family is now, at least in part, disputing. The pushback from the Lemieux family came from Claude's son Brendan Lemieux, a former NHL player in his own right and one with a pretty tough reputation at that, who took to social media to condemn those that had fabricated details surrounding the death of his father.

In order to preserve Brendan's powerful statement, here it is unedited and in full:

Today, on my father Claude Lemieux's birthday, several media outlets published articles filled with intimate details about the night he passed — some accurate, many complete fabrications. This is the unfortunate reality of today's media landscape: clicks and engagement are prioritized over truth, respect, and basic human decency.

The hockey community, however, is different. We have a backbone. We value loyalty, respect, and family above all else, and we choose who and what we support.

I'm respectfully asking the hockey community to refrain from engaging with these speculative stories and give our family the space and dignity to grieve my recently passed father in private. In time, my family and I will share more about what happened in the hope that it may help others who are struggling.

Until then, please honor Claude's legacy by celebrating the life he lived — the fierce competitor, the four-time Stanley Cup champion, the devoted father and grandfather, and the man who left an indelible mark on our game and so many of us.

Unfortunately this is the kind of situation that the hockey community has dealt with in the past and I can understand why that would lead some to speculate about what exactly transpired in this particular case. That being said however, it is important to remember that there is a family in mourning and that's before we even discuss Lemieux's former teammates, colleagues, friends and loved ones.

Hopefully Brendan's message will get through, I know I certainly wouldn't want to risk being on his bad side.