Michel Brière
Penguins rookie who died after a car crash.
Michel Edouard Brière, a Canadian ice hockey player, spent his sole NHL season with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1969–70. After that rookie year, a car crash caused severe head injuries. Following multiple brain operations and an 11-month coma, he died from those injuries at 21.
Quick Facts
- Born
- 21 October 1949
- Birthplace
- Malartic, Quebec, Canada
- Died
- 13 April 1971
- Place of death
- Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Position
- Centre
- Shoots
- Left
- Played for
- Pittsburgh Penguins
- Draft
- 26th overall
Facts from the source article.
Playing career
Brière was selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the third round of the 1969 NHL Amateur Draft. In his junior career with the Shawinigan Bruins, he scored 129 goals and 191 assists for 320 points in 100 games. During his final junior season in 1968–69 he finished third on the team in scoring. Penguins general manager Jack Riley recalled that during contract negotiations Brière said, "It's not really that much extra money, because I'll be playing for the Penguins for the next 20 years..." On November 1, 1969, Brière scored his first NHL goal against Minnesota North Stars goaltender Ken Broderick. He finished the season with 12 goals and 32 assists, placing third in team scoring with 44 points. In the Stanley Cup playoffs quarterfinals, Brière scored the first overtime goal in Penguins history on April 12, 1970, a game-winner that clinched the series against the Oakland Seals at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena. The sweep was the Penguins' first playoff series victory. The Penguins reached the second round but lost to the St. Louis Blues in the semifinals, two wins short of the Stanley Cup Finals. Brière led the team in playoff scoring with eight points (five goals, three assists); three of his goals were game-winners. Although named the Penguins' rookie of the year, he received no votes for the Calder Memorial Trophy, which went to Chicago Black Hawks goaltender Tony Esposito. Many scouts predicted Brière would become a top NHL player, drawing comparisons to Phil Esposito and Bobby Clarke.
Death
After the playoffs ended, Brière went back to Quebec to marry Michèle Beaudoin, his childhood sweetheart and the mother of his son, Martin. The wedding was planned for June 6, 1970. But on the evening of May 15, 1970, Brière was in a single-car crash with two friends, Renald Bilodeau and Yvon Fortin. The road was clear and it was still daylight, yet the car failed to make a turn. For years, people suspected Brière had been driving; that was finally confirmed in 2021. He had insisted on taking the wheel after drinking. Brière was thrown from his orange 1970 Mercury Cougar on Route 117 near Val-d'Or, about 70 miles from his hometown of Malartic. His two friends only had minor injuries. The ambulance taking him to the hospital in Val-d'Or hit and killed an 18-year-old cyclist, Raymond Perreault, who was a friend of Brière. Brière had severe head trauma and was flown 300 miles to Notre Dame Hospital in Montreal. There, a top neurosurgeon performed the first of four brain surgeries. At first, doctors gave him a 50–50 chance of survival. On March 27, 1971, he was moved to Montreal's Marie-Clarac Rehabilitation Hospital. The Penguins ended their regular season at home on April 4, 1971, and did not make the playoffs. Nine days later, after 11 months in a coma, Brière died at 4:20 p.m. Six Penguins representatives—including general manager Jack Riley, equipment manager Ken Carson, and coach Red Kelly—went to his funeral outside Montreal. A separate memorial service was held at St. Paul Cathedral in Pittsburgh, with most team officials and some players in attendance.
Legacy
While Brière was hospitalized, the Penguins began pre-season conditioning near Brantford. Trainer Ken Carson added Brière's name to the back of a jersey, which, along with Brière's equipment bag, traveled with the team for the entire 1970–71 season. Brière's number 21 was not retired immediately, but no one ever wore it again. A framed jersey hung with his photo in the Igloo Club inside the Pittsburgh Civic Arena. According to Carson, "No one ever asked to wear that number (21). If they had, I would have told them Mike's story." The number was officially retired on January 5, 2001. Through 2025, Brière was one of three players in Penguins history whose numbers were retired. The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League renamed its MVP award the Michel Brière Memorial Trophy in 1972. The Pittsburgh Penguins present the Michel Brière Rookie of the Year Award annually to the season's best rookie player.
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was Michel Brière born?
Michel Brière was born on 21 October 1949 in Malartic, Quebec, Canada.
When did Michel Brière die?
Michel Brière died on 13 April 1971 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
What position did Michel Brière play?
Michel Brière's position is listed as Centre.
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