Amid a third consecutive disappointing season, the Flyers fired president and general manager Chuck Fletcher Friday morning. The decision didn’t come as a massive surprise, given the organization’s struggles on and off the ice and the public clamoring for change from the fan base.
Fletcher’s departure means that former Flyer Daniel Brière will take over the reins as GM and president on an — at least to start — interim basis. The next few months figure to be an audition of sorts for the 45-year-old Brière, who is popular among fans and well-respected in the hockey community.
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» READ MORE: A timeline of the Chuck Fletcher Era in Philly
Here are 10 things to know about Brière as he takes the helm:
1. French connection
Brière, who is French-Canadian, hails from Gatineau, Quebec, which is situated immediately across the Gatineau River from Ottawa. He grew up playing youth hockey there before he was selected by the Drummondville Voltigeurs in the 1994 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League draft.
2. Small size, big stats
In the 1996 NHL draft, the Phoenix Coyotes picked the 5-foot-10 Brière No. 24 overall. He went on to play for five NHL teams over the course of 17 seasons — the Coyotes (1997-2003), the Buffalo Sabres (2003-07), the Flyers (2007-13), the Montreal Canadiens (2013-14), and the Colorado Avalanche (2014-15).
Brière truly began to hit his stride as a member of the Sabres. During the 2007-08 season, Brière notched a career-high 95 points (32 goals, 63 assists) in 81 games.
In all, Brière played 973 games, scored 307 goals, and notched 389 assists for 696 points. In 10 postseason trips, Briere played 124 games and scored 116 points (the 75th most in league history). He was an All-Star in 2007 and 2011, winning MVP honors in his first appearance.
3. Flyers fan favorite
Brière joined the Flyers, who made him the highest-paid player in the league at the time, in 2007-08. That summer he signed an eight-year, $52 million contract that was front-loaded with a $10 million payout the first season.
Despite a dip in production, the popular Brière was the team’s second-leading scorer with 72 points in his first season. He dealt with injuries the next two seasons, but he was able to participate in the entirety of the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs. In 23 games, Brière scored 30 points, leading all players in the playoffs that year as the Flyers reached the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in 12 years. In 364 games with the Flyers, Brière averaged 0.78 points per game.
4. Golden boy
Brière has represented Canada on the international stage on four occasions, bringing home gold each time. After previously winning the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in 1997, he competed in the World Junior Championships, scoring six points in seven games to help Canada to a gold medal.
At the senior level, Brière scored nine points in nine games at the 2003 World Championships to win gold. He repeated the feat at the 2004 World Championships, registering eight points in nine games.
5. Post-playing career
Brière retired from playing in 2015 but not from hockey. He returned to the Flyers organization because he said that’s where he and his kids considered home. However, Brière didn’t know exactly what direction he wanted to go.
Former Flyer Paul Holmgren, then the president of the Flyers, offered to let Brière shadow him. Brière also helped out with player development, assisting at rookie camps and running rehab skates. He helped out for almost two years before being given an official role.
» READ MORE: Firing Chuck Fletcher gives the Flyers a shot at a fresh start. They had better take it.
6. The Maine Mariners
Flyers parent company Comcast Spectator purchased the ECHL’s Alaska Aces in June 2017. Comcast Spectator had decided they would rename the team and relocate it to Portland, Maine.
Brière was tapped as the Mariners’ vice president of operations, overseeing the day-to-day of the hockey and business sides of the organization. He was eventually promoted to president and governor of the team.
He helped change the Mariners’ NHL affiliation from the New York Rangers to the Boston Bruins, led lease renovations with the city of Portland, and even assisted in designing the team’s logo. Additionally, he built out the team’s coaching staff, signed players to the roster, and managed the salary cap.
7. Back to school
Shortly after Briére met Valerie Camillo, now the president and CEO of Spectacor Sports and Entertainment, in 2018, the two had a conversation about his future in the business of hockey. Brière informed Camillo of his interest in strengthening his business intellect, and she encouraged him to enroll in a business program.
In 2021, Brière completed a two-year general management program at Penn’s prestigious Wharton School of Business. He took most of his classes online during the COVID-19 pandemic.
8. Interview with Montreal
In January 2022, Brière received a call from the Canadiens. They had fired general manager Marc Bergevin and wanted Brière to interview for the job. To Brière’s surprise, he made it to the final three.
Fletcher backed Brière through the process, and the Flyers organization was candid in saying the Canadiens’ interest made them realize how much they wanted to keep Brière in Philadelphia. The Canadiens ultimately hired Kent Hughes for the position.
» READ MORE: Future GM? Danny Brière’s new role with the Flyers continues his meteoric rise in hockey operations.
9. Special assistant to the general manager
Brière was officially named special assistant to the general manager on February 8, 2022. In this role, Brière would help the front office with scouting, evaluating, and player development.
Ahead of the 2022 trade deadline, Brière helped with professional scouting. He has also got involved with amateur scouting and often attended Lehigh Valley Phantoms games to watch the Flyers’ AHL prospects. Brière helped assist the Flyers ahead of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, where they chose Cutter Gauthier with the No. 5 overall pick.
Alongside the Flyers’ analytics department, he helped develop a specific analytics program for Travis Konecny in an attempt to help the winger become more efficient. Konecny was having a career season (27 goals, 27 assists) before getting injured last month.
» READ MORE: Flyers fans celebrate Chuck Fletcher’s firing — but still want more changes
10. A family affair
Brière, who has long resided in the area, has four sons: Caelen, Carson, Cameron, and Caiden. The oldest three all played hockey (the youngest is not old enough yet), and they fulfilled Brière’s dream of playing in the Quebec peewee tournament. Carson is currently a junior and plays on the hockey team at Mercyhurst.
The Brières also temporarily housed a young Claude Giroux, and later rookie Sean Couturier. Both Giroux and Couturier are French-Canadian, like Brière. However, Giroux is a French Ontarian, while Brière and Couturier’s families are from Quebec. The two of them like to joke that Giroux doesn’t speak French.
