NHL-Briere retires after 17 NHL seasons but without Stanley Cup

Aug 17 (Reuters) - Daniel Briere, a two-time world champion for Canada, has retired after 17 seasons in the National Hockey League, he announced on Monday. Quebec-born Briere, 37, a single father, cited as the main reason for his decision a desire to spend more time with his three sons. The forward scored 307 goals and 696 points in 973 regular-season games for five NHL teams, the Phoenix Coyotes, Buffalo Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers, Montreal Canadiens and Colorado Avalanche Briere was at his best in the postseason, scoring 53 goals and 116 points in 124 Stanley Cup playoff games. He helped his teams advance to the conference final in five of his last 10 seasons, but never got to lift the Stanley Cup. The closest he came was in 2010, when he was on the Flyers team that lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in six games in the final series. On the international scene, he helped Canada win world championships in 2003 and 2004. (Reporting by Tim Wharnsby. Editing by Andrew Both)