Best Penguins by Jersey Number: #21

Who is the best player in Penguins' history to wear #21?

The Pittsburgh Penguins' organizational history has a plethora of great players, and we've decided to go through the best Penguins' players to wear each jersey number. Today, we continue the list by naming the best #21 in Penguins' history.

If you've been paying attention to our work over the last week or so, we actually just wrote a piece on this player for a different segment ("Friday Flash Pan"). Only two have worn #21 in Penguins' history, and although Keith McCreary was not a bad hockey player by any means, we're going with the legacy factor as well as the "what ifs" of a superstar career in the making cut short.

For the second time in a week, we recall the promise and the tragedy of the best #21 in team history, Michel Briere.

Briere played junior hockey for the Shawinigan Bruins in the QAJHL - predecessor to the QMJHL - before joining the Penguins in 1969. He registered an astounding 129 goals and 320 points in just 105 games.

Although his points-per-game ratio didn't quite hit 3.05 at the NHL level, he did show flashes of that greatness during his rookie season - and, sadly, his only season - scoring 12 goals and registered 44 points in 76 regular season games, including his first NHL goal against the Minnesota North Stars on November 1, 1969:

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-bzidHA3UU[/embed]

But much of the brilliance that was set to come later on was shown during his playoff performance. He registered five goals and eight points in 10 playoff games, and came two games shy of leading the Penguins to their first Stanley Cup Final in franchise history.

But, unfortunately, that "later on" never came. Briere was behind the wheel on May 15, 1970, when he and two friends were involved in an accident in his hometown of Malartic, Quebec. Briere was back in Quebec to marry his childhood sweetheart. The accident occured 20 days before the wedding was supposed to take place. 

Although his two friends suffered relatively minor injuries, Briere sustained major head trauma. He was taken to the hospital by ambulance, and - in a twist of fate - the ambulance transporting him struck and killed a cyclist, who happened to be Briere's friend, Raymond Perreault. 

After being transported over 300 miles to Montreal for what ended up being four brain surgeries, Briere slipped into a coma. For the entire 1970-71 season, Ken Carson, a trainer for the Penguins, carried Briere's equipment bag and jersey everywhere with the team.

He died 11 months after the initial accident on April 13, 1971. 

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0UXLfvYGJw[/embed]

Briere's legacy carried on, and it still resonates within the walls of PPG Paints Arena. Although no player ever again wore #21, the Penguins officially retired his number on January 5, 2001, and his banner has hung in the rafters ever since.

Honorable Mention: Keith McCreary