Dustin Brown is taking his place as one of many best gamers in Los Angeles Kings historical past. Prior to Saturday night time’s sport in opposition to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Kings will retire Brown’s No. 23 and unveil a statue in his likeness outdoors Crypto.com Arena.
Brown introduced his retirement following the Kings’ 2021-22 season, and he ended his profession with a pair of Stanley Cup rings and the franchise report for video games performed with 1,296. Brown now turns into the seventh participant in Kings historical past to have his quantity retired and the fourth member of the group to get a statue, becoming a member of Wayne Gretzky, Luc Robitaille and broadcaster Bob Miller.
The ceremony for Brown is about for 9:00 p.m. ET, and followers can watch on ESPN+ or NHL Center Ice.
The Kings drafted Brown No. 13 general within the 2003 NHL Draft, and he grew to become the workforce’s thirteenth captain in 2008. Just just a few years later, in 2012, Brown led the Kings to the primary Stanley Cup in franchise historical past.
Two years after that, Brown captained the Kings to yet one more Stanley Cup in 2014.
Brown skilled the last word excessive for an NHL participant, however he additionally displayed perseverance within the face of adversity. In 2016, after just a few down years, Brown was stripped of his captaincy and changed by Anze Kopitar.
Undeterred, Brown bounced again within the 2017-18 season and turned in a profession yr with 61 factors. From there, Brown remained a key participant for the Kings by means of the ultimate season of his NHL profession.
For Brown, having his quantity retired and getting a statue are nice honors, however he’s most happy with what the 2 Stanley Cup groups have been capable of accomplish.
“Having my quantity retired is one thing I by no means imagined and is a humbling honor,” Brown informed the official Kings web site. “I’m extremely proud that I performed for the LA Kings my complete profession. With my quantity going to the rafters, I’m honored to be amongst the King Greats, but it surely makes me consider the 2 banners already within the rafters, of which I’m most proud.
“It took quite a few folks to boost these two banners; the identical is true for this one. Thank you to all who’ve helped me obtain my goals.”
Brown retired at or close to the highest of each class within the Kings’ franchise report books. Brown ranks sixth in targets scored (325), eighth in assists (387) and seventh in factors (712).
