17-year veteran Daniel Briere announced Monday that he has played in his last NHL game. Before the news spread, I want to share with everyone in my home region, who have accompanied me throughout my career. I’ve had a great time in Philadelphia and have been very, very fortunate to have the chance to play here. I want to thank Mr. Snider, Paul Holmgren and Peter Luukko together with the coaches, employees, the followers and all my teammates. In the playoffs Briere put up some very impressive numbers, totaling 53 goals and 116 points in 124 post-season games. He would register 95 points (32 goals, 63 assists) in 81 games played. He is also – with that smooth, bilingual therapist-sounding voice of his – one of the toughest. Four of the 12 goals were game-winners.
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Briere spoke to ESPN.com in July about the decision confronting him vis-a-vis retiring or trying to play one more season.
Something had to change after that season, and among the changes the Flyers made was signing forward Danny Briere. While Briere was struggling through a difficult season in Denver, his family was over 1,800 miles away in Philadelphia.
Briere became a star for the Sabres when they needed a star most.
The Flyers fell short of their ultimate goal, but if not for Briere’s heroics, it’s hard to imagine they would have had a chance at all.
Regardless of what your favorite moment of Briere’s was, there’s no denying his talent and how much skill he showed during his time with the Buffalo Sabres. There was no surprise in the Flyers’ decision to buy out the remaining two seasons of Briere’s contract back in 2013. Briere was also responsible for one of the shootout goals that helped secure the Flyers playoff position that season, beating Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers in the final game of the season.
Above all, Briere was the epitome of class and grace: friendly, caring, approachable, and always knowing just the right thing to say. At 37, with no full season played since 2003-2004 (which Briere accomplished with the Buffalo Sabres), it’s due time for Briere to hang up his skates.
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If he doesn’t wind up with a job in the Flyers organization, maybe we’ll see him again in a few years when he’s old enough to qualify for Pavel Bure’s World Legends Hockey League (and because they’ll get Canada involved eventually).
