Daniel Briere Retires: Latest Comments and Reaction

After 17 seasons, five franchises and two All-Star appearances, Daniel Briere is hanging up his skates. The veteran center told LeDroit (h/t Sportsnet) that he will announce his retirement at a news conference in Philadelphia on Tuesday.

Briere, 37, spent the 2014-15 season with the Colorado Avalanche. He had eight goals and four assists in 57 appearances, his worst marks in more than a decade. While there were questions about how much he had left in the tank, Briere said his decision largely came down to wanting to spend more time with his three children, who are based in the Northeast.

"The kids were resilient and they hung in there," Briere told Scott Burnside of ESPN.com in July. "But you come to a point where you have to think about your life, their life, and who you’re affecting with your decisions. As hockey players, you do something your whole life, and the decisions you have to make get tougher and tougher."

Briere scored 307 goals and had 389 assists, playing for the Colorado Avalanche, Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, Buffalo Sabres and Phoenix Coyotes. Most of his career success came in Philadelphia, where he emerged as a versatile offensive center and helped push the team to a 2010 Stanley Cup Final appearance. In 124 career postseason games, Briere had 116 points, including an NHL-high 30 during the Flyers' run in 2010.

“I don’t know if there’s an exact reason or explanation or coaching term for it,” then-Flyers coach Peter Laviolette told reporters in 2012 of Briere's penchant for coming through in the clutch. “He fits the bill, and I’m not saying it because he scored the goal or scored a couple of games. I’m saying it because over the course of 100 games, he’s been able to produce at a high level.”

While not quite a Hall of Fame talent, Briere is remembered fondly in Philadelphia as a cornerstone during one of the most successful stretches in franchise history. It's only fitting that he's choosing to formally announce his retirement in the city that made him an All-Star, even if it didn't end in the team riding off into the sunset as Stanley Cup champions.

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