For nearly five years, Daniel Brière learned the ropes of his second career in Maine, near the horrific Lewiston massacre. The man who is now general manager of the Philadelphia Flyers is deeply touched by the tragedy.
“It’s really scary! All my thoughts are with the families of the victims,” the former forward, who played 973 games in the NHL, said spontaneously when returning the Journal’s call.
Shortly after his retirement, Brière joined the Flyers organization. As of June 2017, he successively held the positions of vice president of hockey operations, general manager and president of the Maine Mariners, a team affiliated with the Flyers in the ECHL and based in Portland, 45 minutes from Lewiston.
When the sad events unfolded on Tuesday, Brière immediately feared the worst, especially since his son Cameron works as a video coach for the organization.
“We have all of our hockey staff working nearby. My boy is on the team. At first you imagine the worst. “It’s so sad for the people who have lost their loved ones and their families,” he said.
No relatives affected
Despite the shock being difficult to digest, Brière stated that, at first glance, no one in the Flyers organization was directly affected by the events.
“From what I hear, everyone in our organization is doing well, but there are so many people out there who have lost loved ones, friends and family. It’s really hard for the rest,” he murmured.
For Brière there is reason to be cold. Until February of last year, he spent his day with the Mariners in Maine.
He remembers an exhibition game his team played a few years ago at Androscoggin Bank Arena, a small 4,000-seat amphitheater in Lewiston.
“I keep thinking that I probably met people who were involved in all this madness.
“I was on the team for five years. I spent a lot of time in Maine with the people there. I worked closely with several people who are still in the team’s offices. It hurts to think about how close these events can be to you. Just knowing my boy is there is scary,” he said.
Together for support
Briere said the Flyers are already communicating with people in the Lewiston community about how to organize help. The team also intends to combine its efforts with those of the Boston Bruins, some of whose players play with the Mariners.
“We want to help and we will all work together,” promised Brière, who still cannot accept the idea that such murderous madness could have struck otherwise peaceful Maine.
“I could never have imagined such a tragedy in Maine. It’s so close to Quebec that it’s almost part of our home in a way.
“It’s really not my goal to go on the political side, but all I can say is that it still forces you to ask a lot of questions.”