Welcome to our series on who wore each number best for the Penguins.
The idea is being openly borrowed from our new hockey writer, Cody Tucker, and his project at the Lansing State Journal covering all the uniform numbers worn through Michigan State football history, one that’s been well received by their readers and prompted heavy discussion and debate.
Under Taylor Haase's organization, and following the voting of a big chunk of our staff, we’ll publish one new one each day until completion, which should be right around the start of training camp.
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Name: Michel Briere
Number: 21
Position: Center
Born: October 21, 1949, in Malartic, Quebec
Season with Penguins: 1969-70
Statistics with Penguins: 76 games, 12 goals, 32 assists in the regular season; 10 games, 5 goals, 3 assists in the playoffs
WHY BRIERE?
Briere was the Penguins' second choice in the 1969 NHL Draft, 26th overall in the third round after leading the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with 75 goals and 86 assists for 161 points.
He impressed the Penguins' brass during training camp, and spent most of the season centering speedy wingers Val Fonteyne and Jean Pronovost. Briere ended up with 12 goals and a team-leading 32 assists; his 44 points were third on the team. He was named the club's Rookie of the Year, although he received no Calder Trophy votes.
His overtime goal in Game 4 completed the Penguins' first-round playoff sweep of the Oakland Seals, and he scored the game-winners in both victories over the Blues in the subsequent round. He led the team with five playoff goals and 8 points.
As Briere headed back to Quebec for the summer and a scheduled June wedding, his future with the Penguins looked bright.
WHAT HAPPENED?
On May 15, 1970, Briere was in his burnt-orange 1970 Cougar when it missed a curve in Val D'Or, Quebec. (Nobody ever admitted to who was driving.) The car flipped and Briere was thrown onto the road. There were two other men in the car, one of whom sustained cuts while the other suffered broken ribs. But Briere was in critical condition and was flown to Montreal for brain surgery.
A 4-1/2 hour operation removed a blood clot, and the surgeon was optimistic. But his condition never improved beyond "clinically awake." There were three more surgeries to address problems that cropped up, but no real improvement. Finally, on April 13, 1971, at 4:20 p.m., Briere died.
The Penguins named their Rookie of the Year award after him. The QMJHL named their MVP trophy for Briere, as well.
When the Penguins played in Philadelphia in November, 1970, Bobby Clarke had a story to tell.
"I rolled my car the night before he rolled his. One of the front tires flew off. I think a seal broke. The car went on its side and then landed in a swamp. I think that's why I didn't get hurt."
It happened in Clarke's hometown of Flin Flon, Manitoba, and he walked away "without a scratch."
A couple of mornings later, Clarke's mother woke him. "That young Briere wasn't as fortunate as you."
This is a Sportsnet video with a bit of game footage as well as some family footage.
IT WAS SPOKEN
"I think he's going to be a real fine hockey player. I'm not as concerned about his size as I was earlier." -- Penguin general manager Jack Riley, on his 155-pound center, in November, 1969
"It was the way he skated and handled himself on the ice. He knew the game, not like a rookie, but like a guy with experience. And I saw the moves he made. You can learn some of those moves, but some have to be born into you." -- Penguins coach Red Kelly
"By playoff time last spring, he was the Penguins' most exciting individual, a deft elusive skater with an inborn talent for anticipating the flow of the action. When Briere had the puck, the fans seemed to lift themselves in their seats. They sensed a future for Briere that would be exceptional." -- Pittsburgh Press columnist Roy McHugh
"He would have been a star in the league for a long time." -- teammate Ken Schinkel
"I miss the little kid." -- linemate and friend Jean Pronovost
HONORABLE MENTIONS AT NO. 21
None.
ANY DEBATE?
None.
The only other Penguin to wear No. 21 was Keith McCreary, but he switched to No. 10 for most of his career in Pittsburgh.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette of Apr. 15, 1971, had a note that "Riley said last night there is a possibility the number 21 will be retired."
The Post-Gazette of Jan. 6, 2001, said, "Before the game last night the Penguins retired the No. 21 of Michel Briere, who was killed in an auto accident after a promising rookie season in 1969-70. A blue-and-white banner was raised above the center-ice scoreboard in the spot where Mario Lemieux's No. 66 had hung until two weeks ago. Briere's son, Martin, traveled to Pittsburgh for the first time to attend the ceremony. No Penguins player has worn Briere's number since his accident. With Lemieux back on the ice, it is the only number retired by the franchise."
Tomorrow: DK has No. 22
Yesterday: Paul Gardner
