Michel Brière

Michel Brière
Date of birth	October 21, 1949
place of birth	Malartic , Quebec , Canada
date of death	April 13, 1971
Place of death	Malartic , Quebec , Canada
size	178 cm
Weight	75 kg
position	center
Shot hand	Left
Draft
NHL Amateur Draft	1969 , 3rd lap, 26th position Pittsburgh Penguins
Career stations
1967-1969	Shawinigan Bruins
1969-1970	Pittsburgh Penguins

Michel Édouard Brière (* 21st October 1949 in Malartic , Quebec , † 13 April 1971 ) was a Canadian ice hockey player , who among other things season for during his playing career from 1967 to 1970 Pittsburgh Penguins in the National Hockey League completed . On May 15, 1970 Brière's career was ended by a serious traffic accident, the consequences of which he died eleven months later at the age of 21.

Career

Michel Brière began his career in 1967 in the Canadian junior league Ligue de hockey junior du Québec with the Shawinigan Bruins . There he developed into a very good young player, scored 320 points in just two years and was selected in the third round of the 1969 NHL Amateur Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins at position 26.

During the 1969/70 season, Brière scored 44 points and was a key figure in bringing the Penguins into the playoffs . He was considered a great talent and was often compared to young stars like Phil Esposito and Bobby Clarke . However, a car accident on May 15, 1970 ended his career.

Brière was in his hometown of Malartic at the time to attend a wedding. In the traffic accident, he was thrown from the vehicle and suffered severe brain injuries. After the accident, Brière fell into a coma for almost seven weeks, from which he awoke again, but then suffered from memory loss for almost a year. Despite several operations, Brière did not recover and died on April 13, 1971 in a hospital in Malartic.

In honor of Brière, the Pittsburgh Penguins blocked the shirt number 21 in 2001. It is the only blocked shirt number for the Penguins next to Mario Lemieux's number 66 . The QMJHL also honored him by naming the trophy for the most valuable player in the league after him, which bears the name Trophée Michel Brière .

Achievements and Awards

• 1968 LHJQ Second All-Star Team
• 1969 LHJQ First All-Star Team

Career statistics

				Regular season						Play-offs
season	team	league		Sp	T	V	Pt	SM		Sp	T	V	Pt	SM
1967/68	Shawinigan Bruins	LHJQ		50	54	105	159			12	11	16	27	8th
1968/69	Shawinigan Bruins	LHJQ		50	75	86	161	31		-	-	-	-	-
1969/70	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL		76	12	32	44	20th		10	5	3	8th	17th
LHJQ total				100	129	191	320			12	11	16	27	8th
NHL overall				76	12	32	44	20th		10	5	3	8th	17th

( Legend for player statistics: Sp or GP = games played; T or G = goals scored; V or A = assists scored ; Pkt or Pts = scorer points scored ; SM or PIM = penalty minutes received ; +/− = plus / minus balance; PP = overpaid goals scored ; SH = underpaid goals scored ; GW = winning goals scored; ¹  play-downs / relegation )

Web links

• Michel Brière at legendsofhockey.net (English)
• Michel Brière at eliteprospects.com (English)