Born: October 06, 1977
Where: Gatineau, Canada
Daniel Briere
Daniel Briere is one of the smallest players in the NHL, but his heart makes him rise above most other players. He has a funny French mustache and when he scores he has a trademark celebration pumping his arm on one knee. Daniel, also know as “Danny” , has been playing in the NHL since 1997, and has always been a sharp-shooting sniper!
Danny grew up playing hockey in Gatineau which is a French city in the province of Quebec, Canada. Hockey is very big in that town, so it is quite an honor for Danny’s number 14 to be retired by the team. When he played Junior hockey for the Drummondville Voltigeurs, he became one of the top offensive prospects scoring point totals of 123, 163, and 130 in 70-game seasons.
NHL Shorty
When Danny was first drafted into the NHL by Wayne Gretzky and the Phoenix Coyotes, it wasn’t quite clear if Danny could keep up with his amazing Junior Scoring records. He was short for the NHL, measuring at 5’10”. To be small in the NHL, you have to be very strong and to overcome this obstacle he trained with hometown friend Hugo Girard, a competitor in the World’s Strongest Man Competition.
Danny Boy
Buffalo Boost
In 2003, Danny was traded to the Buffalo Sabres and he slowly became a star player in the NHL. His point scoring totals increased every year and in 1997 he had his best year leading the Sabres in scoring, and he also won the MVP of the All-Star Game. That year the Sabres won the Presidents Trophy, the team with more points than any other team in the regular season.
Stanley Cup Contender
After Danny’s best season, he became a big prospect on the trading blocks. So it was time to pack his bags one more time as the Sabres traded him to the Philadelphia Flyers. The Flyers were full of star players and they were trying to build a Stanley Cup contender. Although Danny got the dreaded groin injury and needed surgery in the 2008 season, the Flyers have become one of the better teams in the NHL, and Danny is one of the key players on the team.
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