Danny Briere's Secret To Playoff Excellence: Sean Couturier's Mom's French Toast
By Spike Eskin
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Danny Briere scored the winning goal for the Flyers in overtime of Sunday's game 1 in their conference semi-final series against the Devils. The referees said Briere kicked the puck into the net, and disallowed the goal. So Briere went and scored another game winner. With 106 points in 104 playoff games, his performance isn't a surprise, even after a disappointing regular season.
So what is Briere's secret about his playoff success? "I don't have one. It's just what it is I guess," he said to 94WIP's Anthony Gargano and Glen Macnow on Monday. " I wish I had a special secret and a special recipe, but sadly I don't." After playing in only six playoff games in his first seven seasons, he's played in 91 the last seven. "I've been fortunate to be on good teams. I think that's the major reason why. You have good teams, good teammates, you get the chance to play in the playoffs and play more games and move along," he said.
There is one thing that has changed; his breakfast. "There's one thing maybe I have to mention. We've played a few afternoon games here at home since the start. And we've been having a new roommate, Sean Couturier's mom's been around. And she's making French toast in the morning for Sean and I. So the French toast seems to be working," Briere said.
Claude Giroux has starred during this post-season as well, cementing his spot as one of the NHL's premier players. His goal on Sunday showed just how much his game has evolved. "That was heavy. And a perfect placement shot, from that point. That was a bomb. It's fun to see Claude. Everybody knows that Claude is a great passer, with great vision, who finds his teammates," Briere said. "But for him, the way he's been shooting the puck in the playoffs, he's hard to defend. Because back off a little bit and try to take the pass lanes away from him, but now, you have to respect his shot. And you know, that's what superstars do."
After a week-long layoff, the Flyers game out flat in Sunday's first period. "There would be a lot of beeps. If I had to tell you what he said," Briere said of head coach Peter Laviolette's speech after that period. "Basically he told us, to, gently wake up. And to get ready for the second and third period. That it wasn't acceptable the way we'd shown up.
No matter what happens this year, Briere said he's taking it all in. "I don't know how many more chances I'm going to get. This could be my last round, so I'm just trying to enjoy it as much as possible," he said.
