As Flyers fans, we know Danny Briere as Mr. Playoffs – short in stature, but enormous in energy and scoring amazing goals.
But to a host of other people, the soften spoken Briere is a champion off the ice, bringing his charity, the Briere Bunch, to the Philadelphia area when he arrived in the summer of 2007.
For over three years, Briere’s organization, the Briere Bunch, has been raising funds (to the tune of $100,000 so far) for children dealing with cancer through the sale of autographed hats, donating all proceeds to charities in New York, Pennsylvania and Canada.
The idea for the Briere Bunch originally started when Briere was a member of the Buffalo Sabres organization. A group of fans, led by Dave Pietrowski of LoVullo Associates, decided to show their support for the Sabres' co-captain by designing hats that read “Briere Bunch” on the front. When this same group heard that Briere invited children from Camp Good Days – an organization that provides support to children with cancer – the group donated hats to the children attending the games.
The fashion trend soon caught on, as fans all over Buffalo inquired about how to be a member of the Briere Bunch. The fans approached Briere and asked if he would be willing to provide autographed hats to fans, with all proceeds from the hats going to his charities. And the Briere Bunch was born.
But his dedication to children in need goes beyond signing hats. As he did in Buffalo, Briere arranges for children suffering from cancer and their families to attend Flyers games as his special guests. He even invited three children and their families to the now ill-fated game six of the Stanley Cup finals.
“Sure, I’m fighting a battle on the ice,” said Briere, “but it is nothing compared to the battle these kids are up against. The least I can do is give them a chance to be in a place where they don’t have to think about their next chemo treatment. Tonight, they are just kids…and more importantly, Flyer fans!”
One of those three lucky children was Duncan Mitcheltree, two years old and fighting a battle against Wilms tumor, a type of kidney cancer that occurs in children – a cancerous tumor the size of a Gatorade bottle. During Duncan’s brave battle, his father, Eric, took Duncan to his first Flyers game on January 6, 2010, against the Toronto Maple Leafs, where Briere scored his 500th NHL point.
Eric emailed the Briere Bunch charity to express his gratitude for what they are doing for children in Duncan’s situation. He also placed an order for two Briere Bunch hats.
Then, out of the blue following game seven of the history-making comeback against the Boston Bruins, Eric’s cell phone rang. On the other end – Danny Briere. Briere and Eric chatted for a few minutes, discussing how Duncan was doing, as well as the excitement surrounding the Flyers historic comeback and the next round against the Montreal Canadiens. Briere asked for their address and promised to send autographed photos for Duncan. Eric ended the call by asking Briere to “pot a couple for us tonight.” (Briere went on to net a goal and an assist in the game one rout of Montreal.)
The Briere Bunch even made a generous donation to Duncan’s Relay for Life team, a team formed to help raise money for the American Cancer Society.
“My wife and I have always given to children’s charities, the Flyers Carnival, Make a Wish and several church-driven charities. I never thought we would be on the other side of the coin.”
A few weeks later, Eric and his family were guests of Briere for game six of the Stanley Cup finals, and though the night didn’t end well for the Flyers, the event was something the Mitcheltree family will never forget.
“I said to Briere’s Dad ‘are you the father of the world's greatest hockey player?’ He said, ‘I wouldn't say he is the greatest.’ I said ‘in my son's eyes there will never be a better player.’”
Duncan is on the road to recovery now, the cancerous tumor and his kidney have been removed and he’s long since finished chemotherapy treatments. His base line tests have come back clear and though he faces another three years of blood tests, scans and observations, his family hopes this chapter in his life is over.
But the bond between his family and the Briere Bunch lives on to this day, as the Mitcheltree family was invited to meet Briere after a recent preseason game against the Buffalo Sabres.
“The thing that separates Danny from the rest of the athletes that do this is that Danny continues the relationship well past the initial contact. I guess that goes to show you the type of Dad he is, the type of man he is,” Eric said.
Though Briere didn’t play that night due to infected tonsils, he spent time with the Mitcheltree family, sharing his thoughts on the season and the team. It was a conversation Eric will cherish forever, and one day, Duncan will be old enough to appreciate. For now, he just knows that he has a new hero for life.
Final Thoughts from the Mitcheltree Family:
Words can't express the joy that this simple gesture has meant to our family. We have been through so much sadness and stress these last 10 months that NOTHING makes me tear up more then the smiles on my kids’ faces. Thank you Danny.
For more information on the Briere Bunch, log on to www.brierebunch.com.
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