Brendan Lemieux looking to follow in father Claude's footsteps; proud of 'how hated he was'

With the 31st pick of the 2014 NHL Draft, the Buffalo Sabres selected Brendan Lemieux, son of legendary agitator Claude, whose effectively pesky style helped three different teams win the Stanley Cup during a career that spanned 1,215 regular-season and 234 playoff games. 

He also won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Stanley Cup Playoffs MVP in 1995 as a member of the New Jersey Devils.

As a member of the OHL's Barrie Colts, Brendan demonstrated the ability to play a similar style to his Dad, amassing 145 penalty minutes during the regular season and ten points in the playoffs.

Lemieux the younger is more than OK with the comparison.

“I’m proud of the way he played and how hated he was,” Lemieux said, via the Sabres' official website. “I just love that about him. I think that I definitely want to follow in his footsteps.

"I want to be that guy that can really step up in the playoffs and really be that playoff performer. Because to me, that’s what’s most important is the postseason. That’s the kind of player I want to be. I want to come up big when it counts."

Lemiuex added it was tough being passed over in the first round of the Draft, and he hopes to show the 29 other teams around the League - and one in particular - they made a big mistake.

There were a few teams there [like] Colorado that really stung. I’m definitely going to love going into their arenas now and making it hard on their guys because they decided to pass me over. I’m just going to use this as fuel. They gave one of the more fiery guys in the draft I’d like to say a lot more fire.

But with that being said, I’m going to make my own path in Buffalo. I’m proud to be here and I’m proud to be selected. I just need to make the best of it now, go into camp and try to make an impact as quickly as I can.

First things first; Brendan is expected to attend the Sabres’ Development Camp, which runs from July 14-18.