were to be married on June 6, 1970. However, on the evening of May 15, 1970, Brière was involved in a single-car crash with two friends, Renald Bilodeau and Yvon Fortin. Despite the road being clear and in daylight, the vehicle failed to negotiate a curve. Longstanding rumours that Brière was behind the wheel were confirmed in 2021. He insisted on driving after drinking alcohol. While his companions suffered relatively minor injuries, Brière, the driver, was ejected from his orange 1970 Mercury Cougar along Route 117 near Val-d'Or, 70 miles from his hometown of Malartic. The ambulance transporting him to the hospital in Val-d'Or struck and killed an 18-year-old cyclist, Raymond Perreault, a friend of Brière. Suffering from major head trauma, Brière was flown 300 miles to Notre Dame Hospital in Montreal, where a leading neurosurgeon performed the first of four brain surgeries. Brière was initially given a somewhat optimistic prognosis that gave him a 50–50 chance of living. Brière was transferred to Montreal's Marie-Clarac Rehabilitation Hospital on March 27, 1971. The Penguins finished the regular season at home on April 4, 1971, and missed the playoffs. Nine days later, after 11 months in a coma, Brière died at 4:20 p.m. Six members of the Penguins, including general manager Jack Riley, equipment manager Ken Carson and coach Red Kelly, attended the funeral outside Montreal. A memorial service was held in St. Paul Cathedral in Pittsburgh, in which most of the team officials and some players attended. Legacy While Brière was hospitalized, the Penguins started pre-season conditioning near Brantford. Then-trainer Ken Carson added Brière's name to the back of a jersey, which, along with Brière's equipment bag, traveled with the team for their entire 1970–71 season. Brière's number 21 was not retired immediately by the team, but no one ever wore it again. A framed jersey hung with his photo in the Igloo Club, located inside the Pittsburgh Civic Arena, as the only visible sign that the number was retired. According to Carson, "No one ever asked to wear that number (21). If they had, I would have told them Mike's story." Brière's number was officially retired on January 5, 2001, nine days after Penguins' co-owner Mario Lemieux came out of retirement to once again wear his number 66. Brière and Lemieux are the only two players in Penguins' history to have their numbers retired. The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League