| Daniel Brière | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Brière with thePhiladelphia Flyers in January 2012 | |||
| Born | (1977-10-06)October 6, 1977 (age 48) | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) | ||
| Weight | 174 lb (79 kg; 12 st 6 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for | Phoenix Coyotes Buffalo Sabres SC Bern Philadelphia Flyers Eisbären Berlin Montreal Canadiens Colorado Avalanche | ||
| National team |  Canada | ||
| NHL draft | 24th overall,1996 Phoenix Coyotes | ||
| Playing career | 1997–2015 | ||
Daniel Jean-Claude Brière (born October 6, 1977) is aCanadian-American former professionalice hockey player and current general manager of thePhiladelphia Flyers. He was drafted in the first round of the1996 NHL Entry Draft by thePhoenix Coyotes, and also played for theBuffalo Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers,Montreal Canadiens andColorado Avalanche of theNational Hockey League (NHL).
He is best known as one of the topStanley Cup playoffs performers in NHL history, with 116 points in 124 career playoff games.
Internationally, Brière won four gold medals in as many appearances with Canada national teams at the 1994World U18 Championships,1997 World Junior Championships, and the2003 and2004 World Championships.
Growing up and playing hockey in his hometownGatineau, Brière played Bantam hockey in 1992–93 for the Abitibi Regents before graduating to the AAA Gatineau Intrepide of the Quebec Midget League for the 1993–94 season. In his first season with the Intrepide, the team captured the bronze medal at the1994 Air Canada Cup, where Briere was the top scorer and named Top Forward. Soon after, he was drafted by the Drummondville Voltigeurs in the 1994 QMJHL Draft. Brière's number 14 was retired by this team, on January 21, 2007, during a ceremony in the Marcel Dionne Center of Drummondville.
In his rookie season, he recorded 123 points, third overall in the league, was awarded theMichel Bergeron Trophy as league rookie of the year, and theMarcel Robert Trophy as scholastic player of the year. The following season, he improved to 163 points, earning theJean Béliveau Trophy as the league's leading scorer. He was also named theQMJHL Humanitarian of the Year and awarded theFord Cup as offensive player of the year. Despite a remarkable six-game, 18-point postseason effort from Brière, Drummondville was not able to advance from the divisional round-robin.
After Brière was drafted by thePhoenix Coyotes in the first round, 24th overall, in the1996 NHL Entry Draft, he returned to Drummondville for one more season. He recorded 130 points, finishing in the top three in league scoring for the third consecutive season, and was awarded theFrank J. Selke Memorial Trophy as the most sportsmanlike player.
Graduating from major junior, Brière split his first four seasons in the NHL between the Coyotes and theirAmerican Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, theSpringfield Falcons. In his first professional season in1998, he recorded 92 points in 68 games and was awarded theDudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award as top rookie, as well as being named the AHL's First Team All-Star center. He is the third leading scorer in Falcons' franchise history.
Brière's training regimen became newsworthy in 2001 when it became known that, in order to overcome his diminutive size (at 5 ft. 9 in., he is comparatively small by NHL standards), he had begun off-season strength training with CanadianWorld's Strongest Man competitorHugo Girard, who shares Gatineau as a hometown.[1] He earned a consistent NHL roster spot in the second half of the2000–01 season and spent his first full season with the Coyotes in2001–02, recording 60 points.
At the2002–03trade deadline, the Coyotes traded Brière to theBuffalo Sabres alongside a third round pick in the2004 NHL Entry Draft in exchange forChris Gratton and a fourth round pick in 2004. After playing withSC Bern of theSwissNationaliiga A during the2004–05 NHL lockout, he returned to Buffalo and emerged as a bona fide NHL star, beginning with a 58-point season in just 48 games during the2005–06 campaign. Brière was kept out of the lineup for 32 games due to anabdominal injury suffered in January that required surgery and a two-game suspension following an inadvertent high-stick toBoston BruinsdefencemanBrian Leetch.[2][3] Completing the season with the Sabres healthy, Brière helped lead the club to their first postseason berth in five years. During this time he earned the nickname "Cookie Monster" from Sabres play by play announcerRick Jeanneret for his notoriety for shooting top shelf, "where momma hides the cookies."[4] Playing on a rejuvenated team that included starsChris Drury,Thomas Vanek andBrian Campbell, the Sabres advanced to the conference-finals, paced by Brière's team-high 19 points. In the off-season, Brière filed for salaryarbitration, which resulted in a one-year, $5 million contract that the Sabres agreed to on August 5, 2006.[5]
The following season, Brière scored twohat tricks. His first came on December 5, 2006, against theTampa Bay Lightning's goaltenderMarc Denis.[6] His second came shortly after, on January 30, 2007, in front of a home crowd atHSBC Arena in a 7–1 victory against the Boston Bruins, with two goals againstHannu Toivonen and one against his replacementTim Thomas.[7] He was voted in as a starter to his firstNHL All-Star Game inDallas, Texas,[8] and recorded a game-high five points (one goal, four assists). He was named All-Star Game MVP and received aDodge Nitro that he ended up giving to his sister.[9] Brière finished the season with a career-high 32 goals, 63 assists and 95 points. He added 15 points in the postseason as the Sabres made their second straight appearance in the conference finals, but were eliminated by theOttawa Senators.
As Brière's one-year contract expired at the end of2006–07, he became anunrestricted free agent on July 1, 2007. It was widely speculated that Brière would return to his home province and play for theMontreal Canadiens,[10] but he instead signed with thePhiladelphia Flyers, who finished the previous season as the worst team in the NHL, to an eight-year, $52 million contract with a no-trade clause.[10] The Flyers front-loaded the deal, paying Brière $10 million in the first season of the contract, making him the highest paid player of the league in2007–08, along withScott Gomez of theNew York Rangers and former Sabres teammateThomas Vanek. His decision to join the Flyers is often attributed to the influence of his friendMartin Biron, who was traded from Buffalo to Philadelphia at the previous season's trade deadline. He later cited the prospect of anonymity in Philadelphia as opposed to Montreal as an additional factor in his decision.[10]
Brière's production dipped in his first season with the Flyers in2007–08, but he still finished second in team scoring with 72 points in 79 games, behind eventual team captainMike Richards. He scored his third careerhat trick near the beginning of the season on November 21, 2007, against theCarolina Hurricanes's goaltenderCam Ward.[11] Led by Brière and Richards on the newly revamped Flyers (additional off-season acquisitions includedKimmo Timonen,Scott Hartnell andJoffrey Lupul), Philadelphia went from worst team in the NHL the previous season to an appearance in the2008 conference-finals against eventualEastern Conference champions, thePittsburgh Penguins. Brière recorded nine goals and seven assists in his third straight semi-finals appearance.
Less than a month into the2008–09 season, on October 22, Brière suffered another abdominal tear requiring surgery. He was expected to be sidelined at least a month,[12] but returned within half that time on November 8 against theTampa Bay Lightning.[13] In the next game, however, against theNew York Islanders on November 11, he suffered a groin pull,[14] sidelining him for nine games. In his first game back, Brière suffered yet another setback; he re-injured his groin on December 3 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.[15] Preparing to make a return to the Flyers lineup, he was assigned to thePhiladelphia Phantoms of the AHL on January 13, 2009, to play three games on a conditioning basis.[16] Brière finished the season having played in just 29 games for the Flyers, recording 11 goals and 14 assists. The Flyers were eliminated for the second consecutive year in the playoffs by the Pittsburgh Penguins, the eventualStanley Cup champions. Brière scored one goal along with three assists in the series.
The following season, Brière was suspended by the NHL for two games for leaving his feet to checkColorado Avalanche defencemanScott Hannan, making contact with Hannan's neck with his elbow during a game on November 23, 2009.[17] He also suffered a tweaked groin during that season and missed five games because of it.[18] However, a highlight came to Brière on February 13, 2010, in a game in Montreal where he scored a hat trick with all goals in different situations: power-play, even strength and penalty shot againstCarey Price.[19]
Brière led the entire2010 Stanley Cup playoffs in scoring with 30 points (12 goals and 18 assists) and in the process broke the record for points in a postseason by a Flyer, held previously byBrian Propp, who had 28 in 1987.[20] Five games into the playoffs, he was placed with wingers Scott Hartnell andVille Leino, where the line went on to be one of the most effective of the postseason. In the2010 Stanley Cup Finals series alone, Brière finished with 12 points (three goals and nine assists), one point shy ofWayne Gretzky's record of 13 in a final, and the highest output in a final sinceMario Lemieux in1992.
During the last minute of an October 30, 2010, game against theNew York Islanders, Brière was given a five-minute cross-checking major and a game misconduct for a stick-swinging incident withFrans Nielsen.[21] On November 1, the NHL suspended Brière for three games.[21] Brière disagreed with the ruling, saying, "If you look at the replay, it's clearly not a crosscheck which is two hands moving forward. It's a push with one hand. The mistake I made is my stick was up there. Is it worth three games for that? I don't think so. And on top of that, I missed him. I didn't even get him... My glove grazed the top of his helmet, not my stick."[22]
On January 19, 2011, Brière was named as the replacement to play in the All-Star Game forCalgary Flames playerJarome Iginla, who cited health concerns about his grandmother as the reason for dropping out of what would have been his sixth All-Star appearance. Brière scored two goals for Team Lidstrom in the game, helping them to an 11–10 victory over Team Staal. Brière finished the2010–11 NHL season with 34 goals and 34 assists. He went on to record seven goals during the2011 Stanley Cup playoffs, a postseason that saw the Flyers defeat Brière's former team, the Buffalo Sabres, in seven games but fall to the eventual Stanley Cup championBoston Bruins in a four-game sweep.
On January 7, 2012, Brière scored his fifthhat trick as well as his third NHL fight (againstKyle Turris) on home ice. His third goal, againstCraig Anderson, was the game winner in overtime as the Flyers beat theOttawa Senators by a 3–2 score, Brière having scored all of the Flyers' goals.[23] During the2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Brière continued his dominant playoff play, scoring eight goals in 11 games as the Flyers eventually fell to theNew Jersey Devils, the eventual Eastern Conference Champions, in five games in the second round.
During the2012–13 NHL lockout, Brière and Flyers teammateClaude Giroux played forEisbären Berlin of the GermanDeutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL).[24] Brière played in a total of 21 games before being injured by an uncalled slash of his wrist which resulted in hyperextension and a bone bruise.[25]
On June 18, 2013, Brière was informed by Flyers management that he would be given acompliance buyout, ending his tenure with the Flyers.[26]
On July 4, 2013, Brière signed a two-year, $8 million contract with theMontreal Canadiens.[27] Brière became the first player in NHL history to have anaccent grave on his jersey.[28] On October 19, 2013, Brière sustained another concussion against theNashville Predators after a collision withEric Nystrom, which sidelined him for almost a month before returning to the lineup on November 12, 2013.[29] Brière returned to theWells Fargo Center inPhiladelphia on December 12, 2013, and was greeted with a standing ovation by the home crowd.[30]
On June 30, 2014, Brière was traded to theColorado Avalanche in exchange forP. A. Parenteau and a fifth-round draft pick in2015.[31]
Following the conclusion of the2014–15 season, Brière was not re-signed by the club, and on August 17, 2015, he announced his official retirement from professional hockey.[32]
After his retirement, Brière remained involved in the Flyers organization. In June 2017, it was announced that he had been appointed to run the day-to-day operations of the upcomingMaine Mariners that had been purchased by the Flyers' ownersComcast Spectacor and moved toPortland, Maine, to begin play in 2018–19.[33] Partway through the2021–22 season, Brière was named the special assistant to the general manager for the Flyers.[34] On March 10, 2023, the Flyers named Brière interim general manager,[35] later promoting him to permanent general manager on May 11.[36]
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing Canada | ||
| Ice hockey | ||
| World Championships | ||
 | 2004 Czech Republic | |
| 2003 Finland | |
| World Junior Championships | ||
| 1997 Switzerland | |
Brière appeared in the 1994Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, a highly competitive under-18 event not directly sanctioned by theInternational Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). He scored five points and earned his first gold medal as Canada defeated the United States 5–2 in the final.[37] Three years later, during his final year ofmajor junior in theQuebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), he competed forCanada junior team at the1997 World Junior Championships in Switzerland. Brière scored six points in seven games and captured his second gold medal, defeating the United States once more 2–0.
Brière debuted withCanada senior team at the2003 World Championships and scored nine points in nine games. He earned another gold medal, defeatingSweden in the final. The next year, at the2004 World Championships, Brière earned his fourth gold medal in as many international appearances, again topping Sweden 5–3 in the final. He tallied eight points to finish ninth in tournament scoring.
Brière attendedCollège Saint-Alexandre, a private high school inGatineau. He has four sons: Caelan (born July 1998);[38] Carson (born September 1999);[39] Cameron (born April 2001);[40][41] and Caiden (born March 2022). He currently resides in Philadelphia.
Brière had fellow FlyerClaude Giroux as a housemate in 2011;[42] when Giroux moved out after the2010–11 season, Flyers rookie and fellow French–CanadianSean Couturier moved in.[43]
Brière's son Carson was removed from theArizona State Sun Devils men's ice hockey team in 2019 during his freshman year for violating team code of conduct. Leaked documentation later revealed that the code of conduct violation was assault. On March 11, 2023, while a junior atMercyhurst University, Carson was recorded on security camera footage at a club damaging another patron's unoccupied wheelchair by pushing it down a flight of stairs.[44] Multiple criminal charges were later announced.[45][46] Carson was again removed from his university's hockey team and sentenced to 15 months of probation in December 2023.[47]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1992–93 | Abitibi-Témiscamingue Forestiers | QMAAA | 42 | 24 | 30 | 54 | 28 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 | ||
| 1993–94 | Gatineau L'Intrépide | QMAAA | 44 | 56 | 47 | 103 | 56 | 12 | 13 | 19 | 32 | 8 | ||
| 1994–95 | Drummondville Voltigeurs | QMJHL | 72 | 51 | 72 | 123 | 54 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | ||
| 1995–96 | Drummondville Voltigeurs | QMJHL | 67 | 67 | 96 | 163 | 84 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 8 | ||
| 1996–97 | Drummondville Voltigeurs | QMJHL | 59 | 52 | 78 | 130 | 86 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 14 | ||
| 1997–98 | Springfield Falcons | AHL | 68 | 36 | 56 | 92 | 42 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 1997–98 | Phoenix Coyotes | NHL | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998–99 | Phoenix Coyotes | NHL | 64 | 8 | 14 | 22 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998–99 | Springfield Falcons | AHL | 13 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 20 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1998–99 | Las Vegas Thunder | IHL | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–00 | Springfield Falcons | AHL | 58 | 29 | 42 | 71 | 56 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–00 | Phoenix Coyotes | NHL | 13 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2000–01 | Springfield Falcons | AHL | 30 | 21 | 25 | 46 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Phoenix Coyotes | NHL | 30 | 11 | 4 | 15 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 | Phoenix Coyotes | NHL | 78 | 32 | 28 | 60 | 52 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 2002–03 | Phoenix Coyotes | NHL | 68 | 17 | 29 | 46 | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 14 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 82 | 28 | 37 | 65 | 70 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | SC Bern | NLA | 36 | 17 | 29 | 46 | 26 | 11 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 2 | ||
| 2005–06 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 48 | 25 | 33 | 58 | 48 | 18 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 12 | ||
| 2006–07 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 81 | 32 | 63 | 95 | 89 | 16 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 16 | ||
| 2007–08 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 79 | 31 | 41 | 72 | 68 | 17 | 9 | 7 | 16 | 20 | ||
| 2008–09 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 29 | 11 | 14 | 25 | 26 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 | ||
| 2008–09 | Philadelphia Phantoms | AHL | 3 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 75 | 26 | 27 | 53 | 71 | 23 | 12 | 18 | 30 | 18 | ||
| 2010–11 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 77 | 34 | 34 | 68 | 87 | 11 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 14 | ||
| 2011–12 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 70 | 16 | 33 | 49 | 69 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 4 | ||
| 2012–13 | Eisbären Berlin | DEL | 21 | 10 | 24 | 34 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 34 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 69 | 13 | 12 | 25 | 30 | 16 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 4 | ||
| 2014–15 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 57 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 973 | 307 | 389 | 696 | 744 | 124 | 53 | 63 | 116 | 98 | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Canada | U18 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | |
| 1997 | Canada | WJC | 7 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 2 | |
| 2003 | Canada | WC | 9 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 6 | |
| 2004 | Canada | WC | 9 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 6 | |
| Junior totals | 12 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 6 | |||
| Senior totals | 18 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 12 | |||
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Phoenix Coyotes first round draft pick 1996 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Buffalo Sabres captain February2004 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Chris Drury rotating captaincy ended | Buffalo Sabres captain 2005–2007 With: Chris Drury | Succeeded by Jochen Hecht rotating captaincy resumed |
| Preceded by | General manager of the Philadelphia Flyers 2023–present | Incumbent |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
