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Danny Brière
DannyBriere
Born (1977-10-06)October 6, 1977,
Gatineau, QC, CAN
Height
Weight
5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb)
Position Centre
Shoots Right
NHL team
F. teams
Philadelphia Flyers
Phoenix Coyotes
Buffalo Sabres
Ntl. team Flag of Canada Canada
NHL Draft 24th overall, 1996
Phoenix Coyotes
Playing career 1997–present

Daniel "Danny" Brière (born October 6, 1977) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and an alternate captain for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played with the Phoenix Coyotes and Buffalo Sabres. Internationally, Brière has won four gold medals in as many appearances with Team Canada at the 1994 World U18 Championships, 1997 World Junior Championships, and the 2003 and 2004 World Championships.

Playing career[]

Early years[]

Growing up and playing hockey in his hometown Gatineau, Briere 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. He was drafted by the Drummondville Voltigeurs in the 1994 QMJHL Draft. Brière's number 14 has been retired by this team, on January 21st, 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 the Michel Bergeron Trophy as league rookie of the year, and the Marcel Robert Trophy as scholastic player of the year. The following season, he improved to 163 points, earning the Jean Béliveau Trophy as the league's leading scorer. He was also named the QMJHL Humanitarian of the Year and awarded the Ford Cup as offensive player of the year. Despite a remarkable 6-game, 18-point post-season effort from Brière, Drummondville was not able to advance from the divisional round-robin.

Hansen - briere

Brière (8) as a member of the Springfield Falcons.

After Brière was drafted by the Phoenix Coyotes in the first round, 24th overall, in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft making him the first ever player taken by the Coyotes since moving from Winnipeg, he returned to Drumondville for one more season. He recorded 130 points, finishing in the top three in league scoring for the third consecutive season, and was awarded the Frank 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 their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Springfield Falcons. In his first professional season in 1998, he recorded 92 points in 68 games and was awarded the Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award as top rookie, as well as being named the AHL's First Team All-Star center. He remains 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. 10 in., he is comparably small by NHL standards), he had begun off-season strength training with Canadian World's Strongest Man competitor Hugo Girard, who shares Gatineau as a hometown.[1] He earned a consistent NHL roster spot in the second half of the 2000–01 season and spent his first full season with the Coyotes in 2001–02, recording 60 points.

Buffalo Sabres[]

Sabres Player 2007

Brière (48) prior to a game between the Sabres and the Vancouver Canucks.

At the 2002–03 trade deadline, the Coyotes traded Brière to the Buffalo Sabres where he would eventually become team captain in exchange for Chris Gratton. Two draft picks were also exchanged in the trade. Brière continued to improve with the Sabres. After playing with SC Bern of the Swiss Nationaliiga A during the 2004–05 NHL lockout, he emerged as an NHL star, beginning with a 58-point season in just 48 games during the 2005–06 campaign. Brière was kept out of the lineup for 32 games due to an abdominal injury suffered in January that required surgery[2] and a 2-game suspension following an inadvertent high-stick to Boston Bruins defenceman Brian Leetch.[3] Completing the season with the Sabres healthy, Brière helped lead the club to their first post-season berth in four years. During this time he earned the nickname "cookie monster" from Sabres play by play announcer Rick Jeanneret for his notarity for shooting top shelf "where mommy hides the cookies".Playing on a rejuvenated team that included stars Chris Drury, Thomas Vanek and Brian Campbell, the Sabres advanced to the conference-finals, paced by Brière's team-high 19 points. In the off-season, Brière filed for salary arbitration, which resulted in a one-year, $5 million contract that the Sabres agreed to on August 5, 2006.[4]

The following season Brière scored two hat tricks. His first on December 5, 2006, against the Tampa Bay Lightning's goaltender Marc Denis.[5] His second came shortly after, on January 30, 2007, in front of a home crowd at HSBC Arena in a 7-1 victory against the Boston Bruins, with two goals against Hannu Toivonen and one against his replacement Tim Thomas.[6] He was voted in as a starter to his first NHL All-Star Game in Dallas, Texas,[7] and recorded a game-high five points (one goal, four assists). He was named All-Star Game MVP and received a Dodge Nitro that he ended up giving to his sister.[8] Brière finished the season with a career-high 32 goals, 63 assists and 95 points. He added 15 points in the post-season as the Sabres made their second straight appearance in the conference-finals, but were eliminated by the Ottawa Senators.

Philadelphia Flyers[]

As Brière's one-year contract expired at the end of 2006–07, he became an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2007. It was widely speculated that Brière would return to his home province and play for the Montreal Canadiens,[9] but he instead signed with the Philadelphia 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.[9] 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 in 2007–08, along with Scott Gomez of the New York Rangers and former Sabres teammate Thomas Vanek. His decision to join the Flyers is often attributed to the influence of his friend Martin 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.[9] Because of this, he is often booed by Montreal fans when the Flyers visit the Bell Centre.

Brière's production dipped in his first season with the Flyers in 2007–08, but he still finished second in team scoring with 72 points in 79 games, behind eventual team captain Mike Richards. He scored his third career hat trick near the beginning of the season on November 21, 2007, against the Carolina Hurricanes's goaltender Cam Ward.[10] Led by Brière and Richards on the newly revamped Flyers (additional off-season acquisitions included Kimmo Timonen, Scott Hartnell and Joffrey Lupul), Philadelphia went from worst team in the NHL the previous season to an appearance in the 2008 conference-finals against eventual Eastern Conference champs, the Pittsburgh Penguins. Brière recorded 9 goals and 7 assists in his third straight semi-finals appearance.

Less than a month into the 2008–09 season, on October 22, Brière suffered another abdominal tear requiring surgery. He was expected to be sidelined at least a month,[11] but returned within half that time on November 8 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.[12] However, the next game against the New York Islanders on November 11, he suffered a groin pull,[13] sidelining him for nine games. In his first game back, Brière suffered yet another setback, re-injured his groin on December 3 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.[14] Preparing to make a return to the Flyers lineup, he was assigned to the Philadelphia Phantoms of the AHL on January 13, 2009, to play three games on a conditioning basis.[15] 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 eventual Stanley Cup champions. Brière scored one goal along with three assists in the series.

Daniel Briere goal 2010-10-30

Daniel Brière (centre) watches a goal go in against the New York Islanders.

The following season, Brière was suspended by the NHL for two games for leaving his feet to check Colorado Avalanche defenceman Scott Hannan, making contact with Hannan's neck with his elbow during a game on November 23, 2009.[16] He also suffered a tweaked groin during that season and missed 5 games because of it.[17] However, a highlight came to Brière in a game in Montreal where he scored a hat trick with all goals in different situations, Power-play, even strength and penalty shot.[18]

Danny Brière led the entire 2010 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 by Brian Propp, who had 28.[19] Five games into the playoffs, he was placed with wingers Scott Hartnell and Ville Leino and the line went on to be one of the best of the postseason. Specifically in the 2010 Stanley Cup Final, Brière finished with 12 points (3 goals and 9 assists) - one point shy of Wayne Gretzky's record of 13 in a final, and the highest output in a final since Mario Lemieux in 1992.

During the last minute of an October 30, 2010 game against the New York Islanders, Brière was given a five-minute cross-checking major and a game misconduct for a stick-swinging incident with Frans Nielsen.[20] On November 1, the NHL suspended Brière for three games.[20] 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."[21]

On January 19, 2011 Briere was named as the replacement to go to the all star game for Calgary Flames player Jarome Iginla, who cited health concerns about his grandmother as the reason for dropping out of what would have been his sixth All-Star Game. Briere scored two goals for Team Lidstrom in the game, helping them to a 11-10 victory over Team Staal. Brière finished the 2010–11 NHL season with 34 goals and 34 assists. He went on to record seven goals during the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs, a postseason that saw the Flyers defeat Brière's former team, the Buffalo Sabres in 7 games but fall to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins in a four game sweep.

International play[]

Medal record
Competitor for Flag of Canada Canada
Ice hockey
World Championships
Gold 2004 Czech Republic
Gold 2003 Finland
World Junior Championships
Gold 1997 Switzerland
World U18 Championships
Gold 1994 Mexico

Brière made two appearances for Team Canada as a junior. In his first, at the 1994 World U18 Championships in Mexico City, he scored 5 points and earned his first gold medal as Canada defeated the United States 5–2 in the final.[22] Three years later, during his final year of major junior in the QMJHL, he competed for Team Canada at the 1997 World Junior Championships in Switzerland. Brière scored 6 points in 7 games and captured his second gold medal, defeating the United States once more 2–0.

He debuted at the senior level with Team Canada at the 2003 World Championships and scored 9 points in 9 games. He earned another gold medal, defeating the United States in the final for the third time in his career. The next year, at the 2004 World Championships, Brière earned his fourth gold medal in as many international appearances, topping Sweden 5–3 in the final. He tallied 8 points, to finish ninth in tournament scoring.

Awards[]

QMJHL[]

AHL[]

NHL[]

Records[]

Personal life[]

Growing up, Brière attended Collège Saint-Alexandre, a private high school in Gatineau. He presently has three sons – Caelan (born July 1998),[23] Carson (born September 1999)[24] and Cameron (born April 2001)[25][26] – with ex-wife Sylvie[27] and has been a resident of Haddonfield, New Jersey.

Career statistics[]

Regular season and playoffs[]

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
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
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 Swiss-A 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 4
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
NHL totals 743 264 330 594 617 97 42 54 96 90
AHL totals 172 89 133 222 152 7 1 3 4 6
QMJHL totals 198 170 246 416 224 10 8 15 23 10

International[]

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 int'l totals 12 4 7 11 6
Senior int'l totals 18 6 11 17 12

References[]

  1. http://www.hugogirard.com/english/06-05-02nhlcom.shtml
  2. Sabres' Daniel Briere out 6-8 weeks. CBC (2006-01-06). Retrieved on 2008-11-12.
  3. NHL suspends Briere for 2 games. CBC (2006-03-30). Retrieved on 2008-11-12.
  4. "Notes: Big raise for Sabres' Briere; Habs re-sign forward Ryder", USA Today, 2006-07-23. Retrieved on 2009-02-09. 
  5. "Briere's Hat Trick Lifts Sabres to Win", Washington Post, 2006-12-06. Retrieved on 2009-02-09. 
  6. "Briere's Hat Trick Leads Sabres", Washington Post, 2007-01-30. Retrieved on 2009-02-09. 
  7. El-Bashir, Tarik. "Ovechkin picked to start in All-Star Game", Washington Post, 2007-01-09. Retrieved on 2008-10-26. 
  8. "Briere shines but West wins All-Star Game", tsn.ca, 2007-01-25. Retrieved on 2007-01-25. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. 
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 Cazeneuve, Brian. "Teflon Danny", CNN Sports Illustrated, 2008-05-06. Retrieved on 2008-07. 
  10. Flyers bury Hurricanes on Briere hat trick. CBC (2007-11-22). Retrieved on 2009-02-09.
  11. Flyers dealt blow by Briere's abdonimal injury. CBC (2008-10-24). Retrieved on 2008-11-12.
  12. Briere strikes early in return to Flyers lineup. CBC (2008-11-08). Retrieved on 2008-12-05.
  13. Anderson, Shelly. "Penguins notebook: Scuderi respects Lidstrom's shot", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 2008-11-13. Retrieved on 2008-12-05. 
  14. Flyer C Briere out a month with groin injury. Sporting News (2008-12-03). Retrieved on 2008-12-05.
  15. Flyers' Briere to rehab in minors. Sports Network (2009-01-13). Retrieved on 2009-01-14.
  16. Flyers' Brière suspended for 2 games for hit on Avs' Hannan. The Sports Network (2009-11-24). Retrieved on 2009-11-24.
  17. Flyers' Brière day-to-day after tweaked groin. TSN (2009-10-31). Retrieved on 2009-12-05.
  18. Associated Press (210-02-14). Flyers 6, Canadiens 2. NHL. Retrieved on 2010-02-14.
  19. Stanley Cup Final Game 6 pre-game notes. nhl.com (2010-06-09). Retrieved on 2010-06-10.
  20. 20.0 20.1 Mike G. Morreale. "Flyers hoping to patch void left by Briere suspension", NHL.com, 2010-11-01. Retrieved on 2010-11-01. 
  21. Tim Panaccio. "Flyers Notes: Briere 'Shocked' by Three-Game Ban", CSNPhilly.com, 2010-11-01. Retrieved on 2010-11-01. 
  22. 1994 National Men's Under-18 Team. Hockey Canada. Retrieved on 2008-12-05.
  23. http://www.atlantichockey.org/player_information.php?playerid=108136
  24. http://www.atlantichockey.org/player_information.php?playerid=108901
  25. http://www.atlantichockey.org/player_information.php?playerid=110615
  26. http://niagara-gazette.com/local/x681261124/SABRES-She-shoots-she-scores
  27. http://insidehockey.com/?p=10766

External links[]

Preceded by
Dan Focht
Phoenix Coyotes first round draft pick
1996
Succeeded by
Patrick DesRochers
Preceded by
J. P. Dumont
Buffalo Sabres captains
February 2004
Succeeded by
Chris Drury
Preceded by
Drury, as rotating captain
Buffalo Sabres captains
200507
Co-captain with Drury
Succeeded by
Jochen Hecht


This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at Danny Brière. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Ice Hockey Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License 3.0 (Unported) (CC-BY-SA).


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