page_title: Daniel Brière
section_title: Buffalo Sabres
hierarchical_section_title: Daniel Brière / Playing career / Buffalo Sabres
caption_attribution_description: Derek Roy, Daniel Briere, Teppo Numminen and Jaroslav Spacek of the Buffalo Sabres, pre game warm up, Jan. 2007
context_page_description: Daniel Jean-Claude "Danny" Brière is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and executive. He was drafted in the first round of the 1996 NHL Entry Draft by the Phoenix Coyotes, and also played for the Buffalo Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers, Montreal Canadiens and Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League.
  He is best known as one of the top Stanley Cup Playoffs performers in NHL history, with 116 points in 124 career playoff games.
  Internationally, Brière won four gold medals in as many appearances with Team Canada at the 1994 World U18 Championships, 1997 World Junior Championships, and the 2003 and 2004 World Championships.
  He currently runs day-to-day operations for the Maine Mariners.
context_section_description: At the 2002–03 trade deadline, the Coyotes traded Brière to the Buffalo Sabres alongside a third round pick in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft in exchange for Chris Gratton and a fourth round pick in 2004. After playing with SC Bern of the Swiss Nationaliiga A during the 2004–05 NHL lockout, he returned to Buffalo and emerged as a bona fide NHL star, beginning with a 58-point season in just 48 games during the 2005–06 campaign. Brière was kept out of the lineup for 32 games due to an abdominal injury suffered in January that required surgery and a two-game suspension following an inadvertent high-stick to Boston Bruins defenceman Brian Leetch.  Completing the season with the Sabres healthy, Brière helped lead the club to their first post-season berth in four years. During this time he earned the nickname "Cookie Monster" from Sabres play by play announcer Rick Jeanneret for his notoriety for shooting top shelf, "where momma hides the cookies." Playing on a rejuvenated team that included stars Chris Drury, Thomas Vanek and Brian Campbell, the Sabres advanced to the conference-finals, paced by Brière's team-high 19 points. In the off-season, Brière filed for salary arbitration, which resulted in a one-year, $5 million contract that the Sabres agreed to on August 5, 2006.
  The following season, Brière scored two hat tricks. His first came on December 5, 2006, against the Tampa Bay Lightning's goaltender Marc Denis. His second came shortly after, on January 30, 2007, in front of a home crowd at HSBC Arena in a 7–1 victory against the Boston Bruins, with two goals against Hannu Toivonen and one against his replacement Tim Thomas. He was voted in as a starter to his first NHL All-Star Game in Dallas, Texas, and recorded a game-high five points (one goal, four assists). He was named All-Star Game MVP and received a Dodge Nitro that he ended up giving to his sister. Brière finished the season with a career-high 32 goals, 63 assists and 95 points. He added 15 points in the post-season as the Sabres made their second straight appearance in the conference finals, but were eliminated by the Ottawa Senators.
caption: Brière (48) prior to a game between the Sabres and the Vancouver Canucks.
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