Michel Briere
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Michel Briere (October 21, 1949—April 13, 1971) was an NHL hockey player and rookie phenom whose NHL career was tragically cut short due to an automobile accident in 1970.
Michel Briere was selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the third round (#26 overall) in the 1969 NHL Amateur Draft. During his junior career with the Shawnigan Bruins, Briere was a dominant force, scoring 129 goals, 191 assists, and 320 points in only 100 games.
During his first (and only) NHL season, Briere would be a core component to the Penguins as they went to the 2nd round of the playoffs in the 1969-70 season. He would score 12 goals and 44 points, making him third in team scoring. At this time, many scouts were predicting that Briere would be a top NHL star for years to come. Briere was even being compared to the likes of Phil Esposito and Bobby Clarke, who were also young phenoms.
Briere, who was in his hometown of Malartic, Quebec preparing for a wedding, was involved in a car accident on May 15, 1970 along with two of his friends. During the accident, Briere was thrown out of the car and suffered massive brain injuries, inducing a coma. On the ambulance ride to the hospital, the ambulance accidentally killed another young man named Raymond Perreault.
During his time in intensive care, Briere would be in a coma for almost seven weeks. After the coma, Briere would fade in and out of consciousness for almost a year. After this and four major operations to help recover from his injuries, Briere died in the hospital on April 13, 1971.
Briere had his number 21 retired by the Penguins due to the accident. Briere's number was the only number the Penguins had retired until Mario Lemieux retired in 1997. The QMJHL has also paid its respects to the late Briere, by renaming its MVP award the Michel Briere Memorial Trophy in 1972.
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Michel Briere played juvenile hockey for the Malartic Muskies of the NWQJHL of the NOHA. His final year of junior hockey, he played for the Quebec Remparts on a line with Guy Lafleur and Andre Savard, and this line helped Lafleur set the scoring mark for a single season. Savard played in same juvenile league as Briere but for Val d'Or.
