Bill Meltzer Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • RSS
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QUICK HITS: AUGUST 30, 2017
1) One of the most eagerly anticipated days of the offseason arrived yesterday: the making of a new ice surface at the Wells Fargo Center in preparation for the next hockey season. The lines and logos have been painted and the surface frozen.
2) Flyers prospects in preseason SHL action: Flyers defense prospect David Bernhardt scored a power play goal in Djurgården IF's 4-2 victory over Örebro on Tuesday. Additionally, 18-year-old Flyers forward prospect Olle Lycksell made his debut with the Linköping HC men's team squad. He dressed as the 13th forward in a 2-1 loss to Karlskrona.
3) Former NBA superstar Charles Barkley was a guest on Fanatic Radio on Tuesday. He was presented with an autographed Ron Hextall jersey. Barkley is a big hockey fan, especially of the Flyers, and Hextall is his all-time favorite player. Turns out the feeling is mutual, as Barkley was the former goaltender's favorite basketball player. On the court and on the ice, the two had a lot in common.
Mutual admiration society: Ron Hextall and Charles Barkley (S/T Zack Hill/Flyers) pic.twitter.com/rmorkndbED
4) August 30 Flyers Alumni Birthdays: Jean-Guy Gendron (1934), Vladimir Malakhov (1968).
5) Today in Flyers history: On Aug. 30, 1995, the Flyers traded defenseman Dmitri Yushkevich, who was locked in an offseason contract dispute, to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Flyers also sent their 1996 second-round pick (Francis Larivee) In return, Philadelphia received a 1996 first-round draft pick (Dainius Zubrus), a 1997 second-round pick (Jean-Marc Pelletier) and a 1996 fourth-round pick (later traded by the Flyers to LA in the John Druce deal and used on the selection of Swedish forward Mikael Simons).
6) Today in Flyers History: On Aug. 30, 1979, Flyers first-round draft pick Brian Propp signed his first professional hockey contract.
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FLYERS TOP 25 IN THE LAST 25 YEARS: DANNY BRIERE
Even if he had not notched a pair of 30-goal, 68-plus point seasons as Flyer, Danny Briere's playoff heroics alone would have merited his inclusion into Flyers Top 25 in 25 list. When the fan favorite's overall contributions are considered -- including his on-ice and dressing room leadership and off-ice caring and classiness -- Briere becomes an easy choice for the top 10.
Briere made up in puck skill and competitive will whatever he lacked in size (5-foot-10, 181 pounds). His youthful visage and easygoing off-ice nature gave an initial impression of a vulnerable target on the ice, but woe to the opponent who underestimated him. Briere had a survivalist mean streak to his game in addition to his considerable goal-scoring talents.
It took Briere time to adjust to pro the game in his early years, but once he hit his stride, he became a highly effective offensive player. He starred for the Sabres, with whom he attained a career-best 95 points in 2006-07. The previous spring, Briere was a thorn in the Flyers' sides in Buffalo's six-game victory in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. Overall, Briere produced 19 points in 18 tilts during the 2005 playoffs.
After signing with Philadelphia as an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2007, Briere spent six seasons with the Flyers. For his Philadelphia regular season career, Briere compiled 124 goals and 283 points in 365 regular season games. His diminutive stature presented some difficulties in defensive matchups but he was a lethal weapon on the attack. Briere's signature goal celebration -- an overhead fist pump -- became a frequent and welcomed sight.
In his first season with the Flyers (2007-08), Briere made an immediate impression as he tallied a pair of goals in his debut and four goals over the first three games. He went on to enjoy a 31-goal, 72-point season despite playing through a painful shoulder injury down the stretch. He went on to add nine goals and 16 points in 17 playoff games as the Flyers rebounded from the worst season in franchise history in 2006-07 to reach the Eastern Conference Final.
Sports hernia issues limited Briere to just 30 regular season games in 2008-09 (11 goals, 25 points) but he produced four points in the Flyers hard-fought six-game loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.
Groin issues and a concussion hampered Briere in the first half of the 2009-10 season. However, he rebounded to produce 26 goals and 53 points in 75 games. The Hockey News' preseason pick to win the Stanley Cup, the Flyers needed to win a final-day shootout against the New York Rangers in order to squeak into the playoffs.
Clocking in at 1-for-5 in shootouts for the season heading into the final day, Briere led off by deking around goaltender Henrik Lundqvist and elevating the puck glove-side to give the Flyers' a quick 1-0 lead. Claude Giroux later added another goal, and Brian Boucher stopped two of three Rangers shooters to send the Flyers.
Briere's performance in the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs in particular was extraordinary. He played a pivotal role in bringing the Flyers to within two victories of the Stanley Cup as he produced 12 goals and a club single-playoff year record 30 points in 23 games.
Flyers coach Peter Laviolette placed Briere on a line with Scott Hartnell and seldom-used latter season acquisition Ville Leino during the 2010 postseason. The trio found instant chemistry, and all three players thrived. The chemistry continued into the 2010-11 season. Briere enjoyed a relatively healthy season and posted 34 goals (tops for his Flyers career) and 68 points in a second-line role at five-on-five as well as extensive power play time.
Briere continued to weave his postseason magic in the 2011 playoffs, especially during the Flyers' seven-game victory over Buffalo in the first round. He racked up seven goals and nine points in 11 games, including six tallies and seven points in the Sabres series.
Assorted injuries, including a concussion and a late-season upper back contusion, limited Briere to 70 games in 2011-12 and reduced his effectiveness in the regular season. His production slipped to 16 goals and 49 points. However, Briere was back to his old self in the playoffs as he posted 13 points (eight goals, five assists) in 11 games. The Flyers upset the heavily favored Penguins in six games in the first round. Briere's OT goal in Game One of the second-round series against the New Jersey Devils provided the Flyers' lone win in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
During the locked-out first half of the 2012-13 season, Briere and Giroux signed a contract with DEL (German Ice Hockey League) team Eisbären Berlin, where their teammates included goaltender Rob Zepp. Briere made mincemeat of the lower grade competition he faced, rolling up 34 points in just 21 matches. Unfortunately, Briere sustained a wrist fracture late in his stay in Berlin and the injury carried over to his return to North America.
The Flyers disappointed in 2012-13, missing the playoffs in the 48-game schedule due a very poor start. A late-season hot streak was not enough to save the campaign. Briere, who sustained a concussion on March 18, had just six goals and 16 points in 34 games. His last hurrah as a Flyer was a two-goal outburst in the Flyers' 7-0 thrashing of the New York Islanders in a President's Day matinee in Uniondale.
For salary cap reasons, the Flyers bought out the final two seasons of Briere's contract following the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season. His cap hit, mounting injuries, advancing age, and relatively modest remaining salaries in the final two years of his frontloaded contract made it necessary business decision.
Briere subsequently spent one season apiece in Montreal and Colorado. He received a standing ovation in his return to the Wells Fargo Center. Briere was increasingly confined to fourth-line duties late in his career and became a semi-frequent healthy scratch. He retired in the summer of 2015.
For his NHL career, Briere played 973 regular season games (307 goals, 696 points) and 124 playoff games (53 goals, 116 points). Moreover, Briere was one of the best playoff performers in Flyers franchise history. In 68 playoff games, he racked up 37 goals (13 power play goals), 35 assists, 72 points (1.06 points per game) and nine game-winning goals.
During his time with the Flyers, Briere won the Yanick Dupre Memorial Class Guy Award in 2008-09 -- he'd have won every year but the tradition is to spread the award around and avoid repeat winners -- and played in the 2010-11 NHL All-Star Game. Briere also won the Toyota Cup (most three-star selection points) in 2010-11.
Briere's impact went beyond his awards and his pivotal role in the team reaching a Stanley Cup Final and a pair of Eastern Conference Finals. He also became a highly respected dressing room leader and a big part of the local community. In retirement, Briere remained in South Jersey. During his playing days, he accepted young teammates such as Claude Giroux and Sean Couturier into his home in order to help them get acclimated to the NHL.
Above all, Briere was the epitome of class and grace: friendly, caring, approachable, and always knowing just the right thing to say. Even when the Flyers bought out his contract, Briere handled the situation with characteristic dignity and graciousness.
After his retirement, Briere remained a favorite of fans throughout the Delaware Valley. In the summer of 2017, the new Comcast-owned ECHL franchise in Portland, Maine, announced that Briere would run the club's day-to-day operations.
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