Longtime NHLer Daniel Briere announced his retirement today, after playing in parts of 17 seasons over his career.
Here’s the statement released by the Philadelphia Flyers.
After taking a few weeks to think about it, it’s time to hang them up and spend a little more time at home with the family,” Briere said. “I’ve been very, very fortunate to have had a chance to play with some great organizations, but at this point the family becomes a priority. The Flyers are where I played the bulk of my career. I’ve had a great time in Philadelphia and have been very, very fortunate to have the chance to play here. I would like to thank Mr. Snider, Paul Holmgren and Peter Luukko along with the coaches, staff, the fans and all my teammates. It’s been a great ride in an area that I still call home.
The 37-year-old has had a fantastic NHL career.
A first-round pick in 1996 by the Phoenix Coyotes, Briere scored 307 goals and 696 points in 973 games split with the Coyotes, Buffalo Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers, Montreal Canadiens and Colorado Avalanche.
Briere’s career trajectory rose after he was traded by Phoenix to Buffalo for Chris Gratton and draft picks. With the Sabres he potted his first career 30-goal season and scored 95 points in 2006-2007, in one of the most underrated seasons in recent memory.
After hitting unrestricted free agency, he signed a huge eight-year $52 million with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2007, and posted two more 30 goal-seasons in 2007-2008 and 2010-2011. His 2009-2010 playoffs where the Flyers made an improbable run to the Stanley Cup finals, he scored an absurd 30 points in 23 games.
In 2012-2013 Briere started to decline before the Flyers used their compliance buyout on the Gatineau, Quebec, Native. He finished his career with two subpar seasons split between Montreal and Colorado.
While his NHL life ended on a low note, Briere had an envious career and scored 300+ goals which is a claim not many players can make. He also earned over $70 million throughout his tenure, so he’s certainly going out on top.
