Real Lemieux certainly had the potential for stardom but after an outstanding final year of junior hockey, his National Hockey League career lasted just seven years. Unfortunately, a year and half after retiring from the game, Lemieux passed away when a blood clot developed in his brain.
Real Lemieux – Junior and Minor Pro
From Victoriaville, Quebec, Real was a prospect of the Detroit Red Wings and played two years of junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey Association with the Hamilton Red Wings. In his rookie year, the Red Wings were just two years removed from a Memorial Cup championship. In 1963-64, Hamilton was still coached by Eddie Bush, the man who led them to victory just two years before, but the team was dismal.
In fact, both years that Lemieux played for the Red Wings, the team did not qualify for the post season. However, Real made the best of it, showing off his offensive talents. In his final year, he scored 48 goals and assisted on 40 for 88 points over just 48 regular season games. He placed fourth in the league for goals scored, still a fair distance behind leader Ken Hodge who scored 63.
Lemieux’s first taste of pro hockey came at the end of that 1964-65 season when he joined the Memphis Wings of the CPHL. He played eight games, scoring five goals and assisting on seven for 12 points.
After a mediocre season with Memphis in 1965-66, Real moved up the charts in 1966-67. He got his first shot at the National Hockey League, appearing in one game for Detroit. With Memphis, his offensive abilities started to show again. However, Lemieux took on a role with the Wings that was never repeated before or after that season. Real led the CPHL with 211 penalty minutes over 68 regular season games. At no other time during his junior and pro career would Lemieux surpass 68 PIM in a season.
Besides sitting in the box, Lemieux also scored 28 goals and assisted on 34 for 62 points for the Wings in 1966-67. His goal total tied him for ninth in the CPHL with teammate Alex Faulkner. Memphis finished fourth in the six team league and lost out to the Omaha Knights in the opening round, four games to three.
Real Lemieux – NHL
After his one game with the Red Wings in 1966-67, Real Lemieux was picked up by the Los Angeles Kings in the sixth round of the 1967 NHL Expansion Draft, 31st overall. He played in the National Hockey League from 1967-68 to 1973-74 with the Red Wings, Kings, New York Rangers and Buffalo Sabres. Over 483 regular season games, he scored 51 goals and assisted on 104 for 155 points. In the Stanley Cup playoffs, he added six points over 18 games.
Real Lemieux Collection
1968-69 was perhaps the pinnacle of Lemieux’s short NHL career. Over 75 regular season games with Los Angeles, Real scored 11 and assisted on 29 for 40 points. He led the Kings in assists and was third for points on the low-scoring team.
The Kings placed fourth in the Western Division with 24 wins and 58 points over 76 games. Los Angeles won their first ever playoff series with a 4-3 victory over the Oakland Seals in the quarter-finals. Despite the loss, Oakland outscored the Kings 25-23 on the series. Los Angeles was then swept in the semi-finals by the St. Louis Blues.
Lemieux retired after a disasterous 1973-74 season. Over a combined 65 games, he scored just one goal and assisted on just one other for two points. He started the season with 20 point free games with the Kings. Real then played seven games with the Rangers without registering a point. He finished up his career with 38 games as a member of the Buffalo Sabres.
Real Lemieux passed away on October 24, 1975 after a blood clot developed in his brain.
Real Lemieux – Rookie Card
The Real Lemieux rookie card appears as number 36 in both the 1968-69 O-Pee-Chee and 1968-69 Topps sets. The card is valued as a common card. Lemieux is shown as a member of the Los Angeles Kings. This was the first of just four years Real would appear on cardboard.
| Season | Team | Lge | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1963-64 | Hamilton Red Wings | OHA | 42 | 20 | 24 | 44 | 58 |
| 1964-65 | Hamilton Red Wings | OHA | 48 | 48 | 40 | 88 | 64 |
| 1964-65 | Memphis Wings | CPHL | 8 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 0 |
| 1965-66 | Memphis Wings | CPHL | 53 | 11 | 15 | 26 | 68 |
| 1966-67 | Memphis Wings | CPHL | 68 | 28 | 34 | 62 | 211 |
| 1966-67 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1967-68 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 74 | 12 | 23 | 35 | 60 |
| 1968-69 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 75 | 11 | 29 | 40 | 68 |
| 1969-70 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 18 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 10 |
| 1969-70 | New York Rangers | NHL | 55 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 51 |
| 1970-71 | Springfield Kings | AHL | 33 | 14 | 22 | 36 | 25 |
| 1970-71 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 43 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 22 |
| 1971-72 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 78 | 13 | 25 | 38 | 28 |
| 1972-73 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 74 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 19 |
| 1973-74 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1973-74 | New York Rangers | NHL | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1973-74 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 38 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| NHL Totals | 483 | 51 | 104 | 155 | 262 |