Friday 'Flash Pan': The Tragedy of Michel Briere

Rising superstar died tragically in a car accident before his career had the chance to take off

We've been bringing you some "blast-from-the-past" series about current and former Pittsburgh Penguins, including "Forgotten Penguins", "Throwback Thursday", and "Best Penguins by Jersey Number."

But perhaps lost in Penguins history along the way are some players who - for only a blink of an eye - shined brightly then either burned out just as quickly or had their career cut short.

And for this installment of "Friday Flash Pan," we revisit the all-too-short one-year career of someone who shined very brightly for one season before tragedy struck.

Today, we look back on the greatness of Michel Briere - his number, 21, one of only three hanging in the rafters at PPG Paints Arena today.

Briere was born on October 21, 1949, in Malartic, Quebec, and his pre-NHL career turned the head of a Penguins' scout. He played junior hockey for the Shawinigan Bruins in the now-defunct Quebec Junior A Hockey League (QAJHL) - predecessor to the QMJHL - and during his tenure there, he registered a whopping 129 goals and 320 points in just 105 games. 

For reference: The next-closest player to Briere in the QAJHL record books? Guy LaFleur at 90 goals and 161 points.

So when the Penguins drafted Briere in 1969, they knew what kind of player they were getting. And Briere didn't disappoint: In his rookie season - what ended up being his only season - the centerman scored 12 goals and registered 44 points in 76 regular season games, as well as five goals and eight points in 10 playoff games, and helped lead the Penguins two games shy of the 1970 Stanley Cup Final. 

All of this was only supposed to be the beginning of a long career in Pittsburgh.

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However, fate had something else in mind. On May 15, 1970, Briere was involved in a car accident with two of his friends in Quebec. He sustained major head injuries, had four brain surgeries, and slipped into a coma. 

Briere died 11 months later on April 13, 1971. For the entire 1970-71 season, then-Penguins' equipment manager and trainer Ken Carson carried Briere's equipment bag and jersey everywhere with the team. 

Even after his tragic death, his legacy resonated. No one wore 21 after Briere did, and finally, on January 5, 2001, the Penguins retired his number to the rafters. Michel's only son, Martin, carries on his father's legacy with the Penguins and was present for Jaromir Jagr's jersey retirement ceremony on February 18, 2024.

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Briere's short but bright stint of hockey brilliance may have only been a flash in a pan, but his legacy will live on in Pittsburgh hockey history forever.