The Pittsburgh Penguins celebrated their past in glorious fashion on Sunday as they retired the No. 68 of Jaromir Jagr at PPG Paints Arena.
So many of his teammates were included, ranging from luminaries such as Mario Lemieux and Ron Francis to role players like Randy Hillier or Jean-Sebastien Aubin.
Also present were former general manager Craig Patrick, the man who drafted Jagr, and Scotty Bowman, one of Jagr’s first NHL coaches.
And so was Martin Briere.
A quiet gentleman from Montreal, Briere has no direct connection to Jagr.
Except for one.
Jagr, like Briere’s father, Michel Briere, is among the select fraternity who have had their jersey numbers retired by the Penguins.
Lemieux is the only other.
The seismic impacts Jagr and Lemieux made on the franchise are well documented and led to their numbers being raised to the rafters.
As for Michel Briere, the honor was bestowed upon him for factors that were extraordinary as well.
And perhaps more profound.
Following a promising rookie season in 1969-70 in which he posted 44 points (12 goals, 32 assists) in 76 games and helped the Penguins — in their third year of existence — reach the postseason for the first time, Briere suffered grave injuries as a result of an automobile accident in Quebec during the ensuing offseason on May 15, 1970, a few weeks before he was to marry Martin’s mother, Michele Beaudoin.
Michel Briere lingered for 11 months in a coma before succumbing to his injuries April 13, 1971.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, the Penguins quietly took his number out of service and did not issue it to any other players. It was officially retired in 2001.
With Jagr joining Lemieux and Michel Briere on Sunday, the Penguins reached out to Martin Briere and asked him to represent his father at the ceremony.
He was joined by his wife Julie and his sons, Arnaud, Emile and Loic.
“It is very important for us, even if we are living far from Pittsburgh,” Martin said. “It was important for me to tell my boys. It was important actually that my sons would come here and see a jersey retirement. They were not there when they retired the jersey of my father (in 2001). It was very appreciated when (Penguins director of community and alumni relations Cindy Himes) invited us. I’ve always felt the Penguins … was a very good organization.”
The Penguins’ rookie of the year award is named after Michel Briere.
“It’s a big family,” Martin Briere said. “We feel we are a little bit in the family even if my father died 53 years ago.”
Now 54, Martin Briere has no memories of his father’s brief career. But videos and stories from family as well as others have provided him with a glimpse.
— EN Videos (@ENVideos19) February 19, 2024
“My mother talked about my father,” Martin Briere said. “And my uncles. The memories that I have is the memories that (were) building year after year because I met (reporters), I met people in Pittsburgh and I met people in Shawinigan (Quebec) also because he’s important there too.
“For me and my boys, it is a chance. I can say that because I think it’s a good thing. It’s always very special to see his jersey (number) up over this arena here, just beside Mario Lemieux and now Jaromir Jagr. It’s like wow, that’s crazy.”
Martin Briere admitted to owing a No. 68 Jagr jersey which he played hockey in as a younger man.
On Sunday, two of his sons wore jerseys with No. 21 on them.
“A family is important,” Martin Briere said. “When you live your life, you realize how important is your father, your mother, all of this. For our family, our father, we have the bad luck and the chance. The bad luck he was not there. But the chance also that he had a short (career) but he looks like he was very good (at hockey).
“For me and for my sons, it’s important to keep a good relation with that.”
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.