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It wasn’t really a shock when news broke that the Philadelphia Flyers were considering buying out Danny Briere‘s contract, so when they did buy him out, it was a move that most fans expected the team to make. Although, just because it was a very expected move, it doesn’t mean that fans were happy about it.
It’s true that Briere had the worst season of his career during this lockout-shortened season, and he seemed like the biggest disappointment on the Flyers’ roster, but that doesn’t account for his entire career with the franchise. Briere is a beloved Flyer who had a lot of success in Philadelphia and was just such a class act kind of guy.
Briere, a single father of three boys, was a leader and mentor to younger players having allowed both Claude Giroux and Sean Couturier to live with him. Other than being “dad” to his teammates, Briere has always just been a classy guy, on and off the ice. He has only been in three career fights, so when the Pittsburgh Penguins‘ Tanner Glass said he was the “dirtiest player in the NHL,” Flyers fans were out for blood.
Briere has always been a fan favorite due to his dedication to the organization and his willingness to interact and give time to his fans. He is also one of the players that has been really receptive to talking to the media and is incredibly articulate.
It is due to these reasons that when the Flyers host the Montreal Canadiens at the Wells Fargo Center on Dec. 12, Briere will get a standing ovation from the fans. Fans love Briere and they’ll give him that to show they appreciate his time spent with the organization. It’s also a classy thing to do for such a classy hockey player.
Deanna Vasso is a Flyers writer for www.rantsports.com, you can follow her on Twitter, like her on Facebook and join her Google network.
