Years before Mario Lemieux hoisted the Penguins onto his broad shoulders and carried them to Stanley Cup glory, another center of French-Canadian descent wowed the Steel City faithful with his slick moves and clever, determined play.
Like No. 66, Michel Edouard Briere was a junior hockey scoring champion. Unlike Mario, he was not expected to be a franchise player. Although he piled up a whopping 320 points during two seasons with the Shawinigan Bruins, he was overlooked by the other NHL teams in the 1969 Amateur Draft. Even the Penguins passed on the will o’ the wisp center.