Michel Brière
Michel Brière | |||
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Malartic, Quebec, Canada | October 21, 1949||
Died |
April 13, 1971 Montreal, Quebec, Canada | (aged 21)||
Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||
Weight | 165 lb (75 kg; 11 st 11 lb) | ||
Position | Centre | ||
Shot | Left | ||
Played for | Pittsburgh Penguins | ||
NHL draft | 26th overall, | ||
Playing career | 1969–1970 |
Michel Edouard Brière (October 21, 1949 – April 13, 1971) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player for one season in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1969–70. Following his rookie season with the Penguins, Brière was involved in a car accident in which he suffered major head trauma. After multiple brain surgeries and 11 months in a coma, he died as a result of his injuries at the age of 21.
Playing career
Brière was selected by the
On November 1, 1969, Brière scored his first NHL goal against the Minnesota North Stars' goaltender Ken Broderick. He would go on to score 12 goals and 32 assists, to finish third in the team scoring with 44 points.
During the quarterfinals of the Stanley Cup playoffs, Brière scored the first overtime goal in Penguins' history on April 12, 1970, by scoring the game-winner, and series clincher, against the
While Brière helped lead the Penguins to the second round of the NHL playoffs, the team finished two victories short of the Stanley Cup Finals, by losing to the St. Louis Blues in the semifinals. During the playoffs, Brière led the team in scoring with eight points, which included five goals and three assists.[5] Three of his five goals were game-winners.
Despite being named the Penguins' rookie of the year, Brière received no votes for the
Death
After the playoffs, Brière returned to
Brière was transferred to Montreal's Marie-Clarac Rehabilitation Hospital on March 27, 1971. The Penguins finished the regular season at home on April 4, 1971, and missed the playoffs. Nine days later, after 11 months in a coma, Brière died at 4:20 p.m. Six members of the Penguins, including general manager Jack Riley, equipment manager Ken Carson and coach
Legacy
While Brière was hospitalized, the Penguins started pre-season conditioning near
Brière's number 21 was not retired immediately by the team, but no one ever wore it again.
The
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
Regular season
|
Playoffs | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
1964–65 | Malartic National | QNWJHL | 24 | 26 | 30 | 56 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1965–66 | Malartic National | QNWJHL | 24 | 31 | 43 | 74 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1967–68 | Shawinigan Bruins
|
QJAHL | 50 | 54 | 105 | 159 | — | 12 | 11 | 16 | 27 | 8 | ||
1968–69 | Shawinigan Bruins | QJAHL | 50 | 75 | 86 | 161 | 31 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1969–70 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 76 | 12 | 32 | 44 | 20 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 17 | ||
NHL totals | 76 | 12 | 32 | 44 | 20 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 17 |
See also
- List of ice hockey players who died during their careers
References
- ^ Feige 2011, p. 49
- ^ "Michel Edouard Briere". www.hhof.com. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
- ^ a b "Michel Briere 1969-70". Pittsburgh Hockey.net. Retrieved November 18, 2008.
- ^ Pelletier, Joe (December 19, 2006). "Michel Briere". Greatest Hockey legends.com. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
- ^ Feige 2011, p. 50
- ^ Labbé, Richard (January 25, 2021). "La tragédie de Michel Brière". La Presse (in Canadian French). Retrieved January 29, 2021.
- ^ Mondoono, Bill (May 15, 1990). "Briere Legacy an Unfulfilled promise". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. pp. D1, D4.
- ^ Bergeron, Alain (May 29, 2020). "La fin tragique du conte de fées de Michel Brière". Le Journal de Montréal. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
- ^ Feige 2011, p. 51
- ^ Gulitti, Tom (February 18, 2024). "Jagr's No. 68 retired by Penguins in 'great day' for legend". NHL.com. Archived from the original on February 19, 2024. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
Bibliography
- Feige, Timothy (2011), Hockey's Greatest Tragedies: The Broken Heroes of the Fastest Game on Earth, London: Arcturus Publishing, ISBN 978-1-84837-742-4
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database