Dustin Brown (ice hockey)

Dustin Brown
Brown in 2016
Born (1984-11-04) November 4, 1984
Ithaca, New York, United States
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 216 lb (98 kg; 15 st 6 lb)
Position Right Wing
Shoots Right
NHL team
Former teams		 Los Angeles Kings
ZSC Lions
National team  United States
NHL Draft 13th overall, 2003
Los Angeles Kings
Playing career 2003–present

Dustin James Brown (born November 4, 1984) is an American professional ice hockey right winger currently playing for the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL).[1] The 13th overall pick of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, Brown has spent his entire 14-year NHL career with the Kings. He led the Kings to the 2012 and 2014 Stanley Cup championships and in 2012 became the first Kings captain and second American captain (behind Derian Hatcher) to win the Stanley Cup with a six-game victory over the New Jersey Devils.[2] During the 2012–13 NHL lockout, he played for ZSC Lions in the Swiss National League A.

Brown is noted for his physical playing style, consistently ranking among NHL leaders in hits[3] and penalties drawn,[4] and his reserved, lead-by-example approach to his former captaincy.[5]

Internationally, Brown has represented the United States at three World Championships, winning a bronze medal in 2004, and two World Junior Championships. He won a silver medal as an alternate captain of the United States national team at the 2010 Winter Olympics. Brown received the 2011 NHL Foundation Player Award for his extensive charity work in the Los Angeles community.

Playing career

Junior career

After playing hockey at Ithaca High School for two years, Brown left his hometown to play junior hockey at age 16.[6] He was drafted in the second round, 26th overall, by the Guelph Storm in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Priority Selection Draft. Brown played three seasons for Guelph, scoring 194 points in 174 games. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the first round, 13 overall, in 2003.

Los Angeles Kings

2003–04 season

Brown signed a three-year entry level contract with the Kings and made the Kings' 2003–04 team out of training camp. His first NHL game was October 9, 2003, against the Detroit Red Wings. Brown saw fourth-line ice time in his rookie year,[7]and he scored his first NHL goal on November 22, 2003 in a 2-0 win over the Colorado Avalanche. He managed just 1 goal and 5 points in 31 games before his season was cut short by a high ankle sprain. Nonetheless, Brown's physicality made a favorable impression with the Kings' coaching staff.[8]

Lockout, 2005–06 season

The following season was cancelled due to the NHL lockout. Brown was assigned to the Manchester Monarchs, the Kings' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, in order to develop his offensive game. He performed well in Manchester, averaging nearly a point per game and readying himself for an expanded NHL role.

With the lockout over, and NHL play resuming in 2005–06, Brown cemented his place on the team. As a 21-year-old checking forward, he managed 28 points in 79 games. More impressively, he led the team (and ranked 13th in the NHL) with 175 hits, and he drew the second most penalties in the NHL despite his limited ice time. A restricted free agent at the end of the year, Brown signed a two-year contract before the start of the 2006–07 season.[9]

2006–07 season

Brown's third season saw an expansion in his role, as he was placed on the top line with star rookie center Anže Kopitar. The two young forwards became frequent linemates, as Brown's hitting abilities and willingness to shoot complemented Kopitar's dynamic passing and puck possession skills. Receiving the third-most ice time among Kings forwards, Brown responded with career-highs of 17 goals and 46 points in 81 games. Brown also received the most short-handed ice time among Kings forwards, a sign of his growing defensive reliability.[10] He finished second in the NHL in hits, the first of six consecutive years that he ranked top three in the NHL in that category.[3]

2007–08 season

On October 26, 2007, shortly after the start of the 2007–08 season, the Kings and Brown agreed to a six-year, $19.05 million contract extension that ran through the 2013–14 season.[11] The contract was signed a full year before Brown hit restricted free agency, partially because young forwards Dustin Penner of the Anaheim Ducks and Thomas Vanek of the Buffalo Sabres had just received lucrative offer sheets in restricted free agency, and the Kings did not want Brown to receive one.[11] Brown produced his best offensive season that year. Continuing to play top-line minutes with Kopitar, he recorded 33 goals and 60 points. To date, that season remains the only year Brown has managed to reach the 30-goal and 60-point plateaus. Despite his personal success, the rebuilding Kings missed the Stanley Cup playoffs for the fifth-straight year.

2008–09 season

The Kings named Brown the 13th captain in team history on October 8, 2008, just after the start of the 2008–09 season.[12] Brown's appointment filled the vacancy created when prior captain Rob Blake left the Kings in free agency to sign with the San Jose Sharks on July 3, 2008. Just 23 years old when he assumed the captaincy, Brown became the youngest captain and the only American captain in Kings history.[12] Head coach Terry Murray pointed to Brown's work ethic and commitment to the Kings to explain the decision, saying Brown "shows that he cares tremendously about this team, about winning every night. I just want him to follow through with that, and he will because that's his personality. Just keep blazing that trail, and players on the team will follow".[12] Kings management was impressed by Brown's emergence as a vocal leader in the locker room, especially after the departure of veteran presences Mattias Norström and Rob Blake.[13] On the ice, Brown's numbers dipped slightly from 2007–08, in part because of an 8.2% shooting percentage, his lowest since his rookie season. However, his 292 shots led the team, and his 24 goals were third. Brown was chosen to represent the Western Conference at the 2009 All-Star Game. The Kings missed the playoffs for a franchise-worst sixth straight year.

Brown screens goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff during the 2010–11 season

2009–10 season

Brown again posted solid numbers in 2009–10, playing a full 82 games for the first time and registering 24 goals and a career-high 32 assists. He scored his 100th NHL goal on January 14, 2010, against the Anaheim Ducks.[14] With Brown leading a rapidly improving young core that included center Anže Kopitar, defenseman Drew Doughty and goaltender Jonathan Quick, the Kings finally snapped the six-year playoff drought. Brown had one goal and four assists in six games as the Kings lost in the first round of the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs to the Vancouver Canucks.

2010–11 season

Brown and the Kings entered the 2010–11 season with higher expectations. Brown again played all 82 games and scored 28 goals. Anže Kopitar's late season ankle injury forced the Kings to settle for a seventh-seeded finish in the Western Conference and a matchup with the San Jose Sharks. The Kings lost in six games for the second straight year, with Brown recording two points in the series, no points in the last three games.

2011–12 season and first Stanley Cup

Brown began the 2011–12 season on a line with newly acquired center Mike Richards, but was shuffled throughout the lineup for most of the season. He maintained his consistent production, topping 20 goals and 50 points for the fifth-straight year. However, along with the rest of the Kings, he struggled to score in the first half of the season. Head coach Terry Murray was fired midway through the season, and as the Kings fell further out of the playoff picture, they were rumored to be listening to trade offers for Brown. New head coach Darryl Sutter called the Brown-Kopitar tandem "stale" and said Brown was not playing the "straight-line, up-and-down, go-to-the-net, shoot-the-puck, run-over-people" style Brown needed to be effective.[15] Brown's scoring pace picked up amidst the trade rumors, and he scored three goals and an assist in the last game before the NHL trade deadline, a 4–0 win over the Chicago Blackhawks.[16] The Kings retained Brown, who responded with 11 points in the 9 games following the trade deadline. Brown later said he was playing with "a chip on his shoulder" and "whether those rumors are true or not, they're still out there, it gives you maybe a bit more motivation".[17] With Brown producing and the trade-deadline acquisition of Jeff Carter, the Kings were one of the highest-scoring NHL teams down the stretch and made the playoffs as an eighth seed. After moving up-and-down the lineup for most of the year, Brown found stability playing on the first line with Anže Kopitar and Justin Williams. That line would remain intact throughout the entire 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Brown hoisting the Stanley Cup at the Kings' 2012 championship parade

Brown recorded four goals and one assist in the first round against the first-seeded Vancouver Canucks, including two shorthanded goals in a 4–2 Game 2 win. In Game 3, he delivered a devastating open-ice check to Canucks captain Henrik Sedin directly in front of the Canucks' bench. The hit left Sedin dazed on the ice for several seconds. Brown later scored the game-winning goal in the third period. Many observers, including TSN's Bob McKenzie and Sports Illustrated' Michael Farber, called the hit the decisive moment in the series.[5][18][19] The Kings upset the heavily-favored Canucks in five games, and then recorded the first sweep in franchise history over the St. Louis Blues. Brown registered two goals and four assists in the series. Both of his goals came in the decisive Game 4, a 3–1 Kings victory.

The Kings then beat the Phoenix Coyotes in five games in the Western Conference Finals. Brown scored the game-winning goal in Game 1 of that series and did not score again until Game 6 of the 2012 Stanley Cup Final against the New Jersey Devils, although he did manage five assists in that span. After being benched for the final minutes of a Game 5 loss,[20] Brown produced three points in Game 6 to secure the Kings' first-ever Stanley Cup. He scored the first of three goals on a five-minute power play, and shortly afterwards, fired a shot that Jeff Carter deflected into the net for the eventual Cup-winning goal. Later, he assisted on another Carter goal.[21] The Kings defeated the Devils 6–1, making Brown the second American-born captain to lead a team to a Stanley Cup championship and the Kings the second California-based team to win the Stanley Cup. With 8 goals and 12 assists in 20 games, Brown tied teammate Anže Kopitar for the lead in overall playoff point total.

On July 28, 2012, Brown had his "Day with the Cup". Each year after a team has won the Stanley Cup, players, front office and hockey operation staff each get a day with the Stanley Cup. Brown hinted on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno he would bring the Cup back home. He did just that, bringing it to Ithaca High School in late July.[22]

2012–13 season

During the lockout-shortened season, Brown finished with 18 goals and 29 points in 46 games. The Kings reached the Western Conference Finals for a second-straight year, but fell in five games to the Blackhawks.[23]

2013–14 season and second Stanley Cup

On July 18, 2013, the Kings signed Brown to an eight-year, $47 million contract extension.[24] In the 2014 Stanley Cup Finals, Brown led the Kings to another Stanley Cup title,[25] despite facing some criticism for more muted contributions on the team's run to the title.[26][27] In the Finals against the New York Rangers, Brown scored the overtime winner in Game 2 to give the Kings a 5–4 victory and a 2–0 series lead, and he scored again during the Kings' 2–1 loss in Game 4.

At the conclusion of the 2013–14 season, Brown was awarded the Mark Messier Leadership Award "in recognition of his commitment and service to charities in his community".[28]

Later years

Following back-to-back seasons of scoring less than 30 points, Brown was replaced as the Kings captain by Anže Kopitar on June 16, 2016.[29] Speaking on the decision to have his captaincy stripped, Brown stated, "I understand the decision and I respect the decision. Part of my problem was how it was handled. It just put me in an awkward spot."[30]

On December 21, 2017, Brown played in his 1,000th career NHL game.[31] The Kings defeated the Colorado Avalanche 2–1 in overtime, where Brown scored the game-winning goal.[32]

International play


Brown at the 2008 IIHF World Championship
Medal record
Ice hockey
Representing  United States
Olympic Games
2010 Vancouver
World Championships
2004 Prague

Brown has played for the United States in multiple international tournaments. During the World Championship tournament of 2008, Brown received negative attention for a controversial hit that made contact with the head of Finnish player Jussi Jokinen as the final horn sounded.[33]

Brown was named an alternate captain of the United States at the 2010 Winter Olympics and again in 2014.[34]

Style of play

Brown is known for his physical, north-south style of game.[5] Brown considers himself a clean hitter: after a controversial hit on Phoenix Coyotes defenseman Michal Rozsíval in the 2012 Western Conference Finals, Brown defended himself by saying, "I take pride in playing the game clean and hard. There are going to be hits that are unfortunate but still clean."[35] Brown had never been issued a fine or suspension from the NHL Department of Player Safety until April 24, 2013, when he received two-game suspension for an illegal elbow to the head of Minnesota Wild forward Jason Pominville on April 23, 2013. Brown's former teammate Rob Blake said Brown "comes at guys straight on, face-to-face. He goes right through guys."[5] Despite his aggressive style, Brown has not missed a game due to injury in four seasons. Brown is one of the most effective NHL players at drawing penalties, having led the NHL in that category in five of seven post-lockout seasons.[4][36] Brown's unparalleled success in that area has led several commentators, including ex-NHL referee Kerry Fraser, to say that Brown has acquired a reputation for embellishing infractions in order to draw penalties.[37] Beyond his physicality and agitation, Brown has provided a consistent offensive threat for the Kings, scoring at least 22 goals five consecutive years. Brown plays an effective two-way game and has matured into an elite defensive and penalty-killing forward.[38]

Personal life

Brown has three sons, Jake, Mason and Cooper, and one daughter, Mackenzie, with his wife Nicole[39] and lives in Manhattan Beach, California. Brown had a speech impediment early in his career, which he received therapy for before his professional career.[40] He is heavily involved in charity work in the Greater Los Angeles Area[41] and was awarded the 2011 NHL Foundation Player Award for his community efforts and involvement.[42]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2000–01 Guelph Storm OHL 53 23 22 45 50 4 0 0 0 10
2001–02 Guelph Storm OHL 63 41 32 73 56 9 8 5 13 14
2002–03 Guelph Storm OHL 58 34 42 76 89 11 7 8 15 6
2003–04 Los Angeles Kings NHL 31 1 4 5 16 — — — — —
2004–05 Manchester Monarchs AHL 79 29 45 74 96 6 5 2 7 10
2005–06 Los Angeles Kings NHL 79 14 14 28 80 — — — — —
2006–07 Los Angeles Kings NHL 81 17 29 46 54 — — — — —
2007–08 Los Angeles Kings NHL 78 33 27 60 55 — — — — —
2008–09 Los Angeles Kings NHL 80 24 29 53 64 — — — — —
2009–10 Los Angeles Kings NHL 82 24 32 56 41 6 1 4 5 6
2010–11 Los Angeles Kings NHL 82 28 29 57 67 6 1 1 2 6
2011–12 Los Angeles Kings NHL 82 22 32 54 53 20 8 12 20 34
2012–13 ZSC Lions NLA 16 8 5 13 26 — — — — —
2012–13 Los Angeles Kings NHL 46 18 11 29 22 18 3 1 4 8
2013–14 Los Angeles Kings NHL 79 15 12 27 66 26 6 8 14 22
2014–15 Los Angeles Kings NHL 82 11 16 27 26 — — — — —
2015–16 Los Angeles Kings NHL 82 11 17 28 30 5 0 1 1 4
2016–17 Los Angeles Kings NHL 80 14 22 36 22 — — — — —
2017–18 Los Angeles Kings NHL 81 28 33 61 58 4 0 1 1 4
NHL totals 1045 260 307 567 654 85 19 28 47 84

International

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2002 United States WJC 5th 7 1 3 4 10
2003 United States WJC 4th 7 2 2 4 10
2004 United States WC 3rd, bronze medalist(s) 9 1 3 4 4
2006 United States WC 7th 7 5 2 7 10
2008 United States WC 6th 7 5 4 9 22
2009 United States WC 4th 9 3 5 8 8
2010 United States Oly 2nd, silver medalist(s) 6 0 0 0 0
2014 United States Oly 4th 6 2 1 3 4
Junior totals 14 3 5 8 20
Senior totals 44 16 15 31 48

Awards and honours

Award Year
OHL
All-Rookie Team 2001
CHL Scholastic Player of the Year 2003
NHL
All-Star Game 2009
Foundation Player Award 2011
Stanley Cup (Los Angeles Kings) 2012, 2014
Mark Messier Leadership Award 2014

References

  1. ↑ "Dustin Brown Stats and News". NHL.com.
  2. ↑ Klein, Jeff (June 11, 2012). "Kings Capture Cup With Early Outburst". New York Times. Retrieved August 18, 2012.
  3. 1 2 "2011–2012 – Regular Season – Skater – Real-Time Stats – Hits". NHL.com. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
  4. 1 2 Hawerchuk (January 14, 2012). "Penalties Drawn aka "Stats the NHL ought to Keep". Arctic Ice Hockey. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Farber, Michael (April 30, 2012). "The Face Of The Playoffs". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
  6. ↑ Lawrence, Steve (June 11, 2012). "Ithaca's Dustin Brown becomes second U.S.-born captain to win Stanley Cup". Ithaca.com. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  7. ↑ "2003–2004 – Regular Season – Los Angeles Kings – Skater – Time On Ice – Time On Ice Per Game". NHL.com. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
  8. ↑ Stevens, Jim (June 2008). "Speak Softly, But Deliver a Big Hit". USA Hockey Magazine. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
  9. ↑ "Kings Re-Sign Dustin Brown And Tim Gleason". Los Angeles Kings Press Release. September 17, 2006. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
  10. ↑ "2006–2007 – Regular Season – Los Angeles Kings – Skater – Time On Ice – Time On Ice Per Game". NHL.com. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
  11. 1 2 Dillman, Lisa (October 27, 2007). "Brown Gets A Six-Year Extension". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 8, 2008.
  12. 1 2 3 "Kings Announce Team Captains" (Press release). Los Angeles Kings. October 8, 2008. Retrieved October 8, 2008.
  13. ↑ "Captain Brown Feature" (Press release). Los Angeles Kings. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
  14. ↑ "Anaheim Ducks vs. Los Angeles Kings – Recap – January 14, 2010". Sports.espn.go.com. ESPN. January 14, 2010. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
  15. ↑ Halford, Mike (February 21, 2012). "Sutter Calls Out Brown, Kopitar". ProHockeyTalk. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
  16. ↑ Elliott, Helene (February 25, 2012). "Dustin Brown's hat trick powers Kings to 4-0 win over Blackhawks". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
  17. ↑ Lebrun, Pierre (June 4, 2012). "Dustin Brown Turns It Around". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
  18. ↑ McKenzie, Bob (April 16, 2012). "Brown sets the tone for Kings with hit, goal". TSN. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
  19. ↑ Kuzma, Ben (April 16, 2012). "Dustin Brown hit on Canucks' Henrik Sedin was game changer". The Province. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
  20. ↑ O'Brien, James (June 9, 2012). "Kings kept Dustin Brown on bench for Game 5's final minutes". ProHockeyTalk. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
  21. ↑ Masisak, Corey (June 11, 2012). "Kings Rout Devils 6–1 to win first Cup". NHL.com. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
  22. ↑ "Keeper Of The Cup Presents Stanley Cup Journal: Dustin Brown". Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
  23. ↑ "NHL playoffs 2013: Blackhawks top Kings in double overtime, advance to Stanley Cup finals". June 9, 2013 – via Toronto Star.
  24. ↑ Matsuda, Gann (July 19, 2013). "LA Kings Dustin Brown's Class And Leadership Is Rewarded With Eight-Year Contract Extension". Gann Matsuda/FrozenRoyalty.net. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
  25. ↑ Masiak, Corey (June 14, 2014). "Kings' road to second Cup much harder than 2012". National Hockey League. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
  26. ↑ Wyshynski, Greg (June 6, 2014). "Dustin Brown endures as one of the NHL's most criticized captains". Yahoo.com. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
  27. ↑ Matsuda, Gann (June 19, 2014). "Dustin Brown's Work On The Ice and Off During 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs Proves His Worth As LA Kings Captain". Gann Matsuda/FrozenRoyalty.net. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
  28. ↑ "Kings' Brown wins Mark Messier Leadership Award". NHL. June 24, 2014. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
  29. ↑ "Anze Kopitar made LA Kings' new captain after Brown loses job". NBC Sports. June 16, 2016. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  30. ↑ "Dustin Brown not happy to lose Kings' captaincy". cbc.ca. June 30, 2016. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  31. ↑ "Brown persevered to reach cusp of 1,000 games with Kings". NHL.com.
  32. ↑ "Dustin Brown ends 1,000th career game with overtime goal".
  33. ↑ "Finland rallies for 3–2 victory at IIHF world hockey championship". The Canadian Press. National Hockey League (NHL). May 11, 2008. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
  34. ↑ Elliott, Helene (January 11, 2010). "Kings' Dustin Brown named alternate captain of U.S. olympic team". LA Times. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
  35. ↑ D'Hippolito, Joseph (May 27, 2012). "Sticking Around, Showing the Way". The New York Times. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
  36. ↑ Wagner, Daniel (March 27, 2012). "Penalty Plus/Minus: End of Season Update". Backhand Shelf. Archived from the original on February 4, 2013. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
  37. ↑ Fraser, Kerry (May 18, 2012). "How to deal with players who dive to draw penalties". TSN. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
  38. ↑ Vollman, Robert (May 11, 2012). "Howe and Why: Selke Selection". Hockey Prospectus. Archived from the original on August 18, 2012. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
  39. ↑ Handel, Craig (June 6, 2014). "Bryan Brown riding roller coaster with son, Kings". USA Today. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
  40. ↑ Halford, Mike (April 25, 2012). "Sean Avery used to mock Dustin Brown about his lisp and wife". NBC sports.com. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
  41. ↑ Rideout, Samantha (February 10, 2011). "Hockeywood Hero: Kings Captain Dustin Brown Gives Back". thehockeywriters.com. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
  42. ↑ "Dustin Brown Wins 2011 NHL Foundation Award". NHL.com. June 22, 2011. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Denis Grebeshkov		 Los Angeles Kings first round draft pick
2003		 Succeeded by
Brian Boyle
Sporting positions
Preceded by
Rob Blake		 Los Angeles Kings captain
2008–16		 Succeeded by
Anže Kopitar
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