When he was playing for the Buffalo Sabers in the early 2000s, Daniel Brière began to take an interest in the work of its general manager Darcy Rieger. The way he catapulted his team from the bottom of the standings to two consecutive conference finals fascinated him. He then studied the methods of Paul Holmgren in Philadelphia. Then those of Marc Bergevin in Montreal, and those of Joe Sakic in Colorado.
As well to say that, for 20 years, Brière “looks at how teams are built”. Today is his turn to do so, as the Philadelphia Flyers have just entrusted him with the role of interim general manager of the organization.
“There is no doubt in my head that I can do the job,” said the Quebecer on Sunday morning during a (very) early morning virtual press briefing, his first media appearance since he accepted his promotion last Friday. He was previously the deputy of GM Chuck Fletcher, who was shown the door.
I saw myself [être DG] when I was playing, I always believed that I might find myself in this position.
Daniel Briere
His rise, since his retirement as a player in 2015, gives weight to his conviction. After ending his career with the Canadiens and the Avalanche, he returned to Philadelphia, a city he and his family call “home”. Flyers president at the time, Paul Holmgren, took him under his wing, introducing him to the “business side” of his sport and giving him various responsibilities in the organization. He began university studies in management. For five years, he made a detour to the ECHL, taking the reins of the Maine Mariners, before finding himself among the last candidates for the position of general manager of the Montreal Canadiens in January 2022.
This, he believes, accelerated his rise to the job of his dreams. In fact, shortly following the Habs preferred Kent Hughes to him, the Flyers made Briere Chuck Fletcher’s right-hand man. However, he did not expect to replace him barely a year later.
The call from the owners of the franchise “surprised him a bit”, he admits: “You never go to work thinking that your boss will be fired. »
The next 48 hours were “a little crazy”; his phone vibrates “every three seconds”.
Still in “survival mode”, he speaks of the “honor” that is done to him, of the “pride” that he feels to be a member of the Flyers.
Like his predecessor, he currently holds the titles of general manager and president of hockey operations, two positions which will however be split at the end of the selection process which will begin in the coming weeks. Brière sees himself above all as a CEO, although he says he is “open” to what his bosses will offer him.
The acting label doesn’t scare him at all. Obviously, he sees himself in that chair for quite a while. “I will do everything I can to help get the team back on track,” he promises.
Reconstruction
There will be no shortage of work. In the short term, there is a season to finish – a fourth without the playoffs in five years, and a seventh in 11 years.
In the medium and long term, there are many projects. The bank of hopefuls, although interesting, is not the richest on the circuit. A recent ranking ofAthletic placed the Flyers youth squad at 14e rank out of 32 teams. It is not certain that a future big star is currently hiding in the club’s subsidiaries.
Brière also inherits heavy and expensive contracts which will not be easy to liquidate. The health of key players like Sean Couturier and Ryan Ellis is fragile. The goalkeeping position has been precarious for almost 40 years.
Daniel Brière does not hesitate to pronounce the word “reconstruction”, which is dreaded by many managers. Before the Flyers become a Stanley Cup-winning team once more, “it will take several years,” he believes.
“It’s important not to rush anything. There is no quick fix [quick fix]. That doesn’t mean we’ll do a fire sale and get rid of everyone. Our team has rejuvenated, it already shows. We are in the right direction. »
The repechage is high on the list of priorities for the next few years. We see it as a “key” for the revival of the club. “Right now, I don’t think we’re in a position to get impactful free agents,” concedes the GM. Unfortunately and fortunately, we will have a very high choice this year. And we already have two first-round picks next year. »
A full staff “assessment” will take place. The one on the ice, of course, but also the one in the offices. The exercise will be done with frankness and rigor, but there will be no purge there either, he promises. “I have never been a player who works alone, I have always believed that the team comes first, and I will keep the same approach. I love working with people. »
Listening to him, we understand that head coach John Tortorella does not have to worry regarding his job security. Daniel Brière was also part of the committee that hired him last June, and he has nothing but praise for the fiery character, whose wardrobe is renowned for its absence of white gloves.
“What impresses me the most regarding him is how much he wants to rebuild our culture,” says Brière. Over the past two years, we had become an easy team to play once morest. It was sometimes hard to watch. [Avec Tortorella], we can already see the difference. We’re not the group with the most talent, but it’s hard to play once morest us. It’s exciting. »
Even if it’s not the time for celebrations in the city of brotherly love, Daniel Brière arrives with the smile and determination of someone who finally gets where he wanted to, even if the road to success will be long.
On the ice, he always showed those who doubted him that they were wrong. And he’s never been better than in the most important matches. As an administrator, he will not allow himself to be imposed any further.
Daniel Briere in a nutshell
- Born October 6, 1977 in Gatineau
- Drafted in the first round (24e overall) in 1996 by the Phoenix Coyotes
- Played 973 season games with the Coyotes, Buffalo Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers, Montreal Canadiens and Colorado Avalanche. He collected 696 points in the interval
- Added 116 points in 124 playoff games. He reached the conference final five times, and the grand final once.
- Announced his retirement as a player in 2015.
