Dustin Brown, whose fearless physicality and commanding management because the Kings’ captain turned cornerstones of their Stanley Cup championships in 2012 and 2014, will retire on the finish of the playoffs, the membership introduced on Thursday. He’s scheduled to offer background on his determination at a information convention on Friday on the group’s El Segundo follow facility.
Brown, 37, is within the remaining 12 months of his contract. He indicated in an interview final week with The Instances that he hadn’t determined if he would play one other season, given his diminished position and dwindling effectiveness on the ice.
“To be trustworthy, I’m probably not positive but. It’s nonetheless a kind of questions that I wish to take a while away from it,” he stated final week. “I don’t assume these are selections you wish to make throughout the ups and downs and simply the daily. There’s good days and unhealthy days. Simply wish to take my time with it.”
The time was proper on Thursday. Brown, nonetheless a mentor and chief within the locker room however relegated largely to enjoying proper wing on the third line, has 9 targets and 28 factors in 63 video games this season. He was anticipated to play within the Kings’ regular-season finale Thursday night time at Vancouver, which might be his 1,296th NHL recreation — all with the Kings — and increasing his personal group document. The Kings clinched a playoff spot on Tuesday, their first postseason look since 2018.
Along with rating first in franchise historical past in regular-season video games performed, Brown ranks sixth in targets (325), eighth in assists (387) and seventh in factors (712). The native of Ithaca, N.Y., ranks sixth all-time in NHL video games performed by American-born gamers and thirty fifth in factors amongst American-born gamers. He was chosen thirteenth by the Kings within the 2003 entry draft, which was notable for the numerous stars it produced. One other member of that class, Geese captain Ryan Getzlaf, performed his remaining NHL recreation final Sunday.
At his peak, Brown was a bodily pressure. He set the tone for his or her run to the Cup in 2012 with a thunderous hit on Vancouver ahead Henrik Sedin in Recreation 3 of the first-round playoff sequence between the eighth-seeded Kings and top-ranked Canucks, paving the best way for his or her five-game win in that sequence and their romp via the following three rounds. Brown and teammate Anze Kopitar, longtime linemates, shared the playoff scoring lead with 20 factors every in 20 video games.
Brown had been appointed captain of the Kings in 2008. Nevertheless, then-general supervisor Dean Lombardi stripped him of the “C” in the summertime of 2016 as Brown struggled and the group went via a troublesome post-championship rebuilding course of. Brown’s affect on his teammates remained robust, although, whilst his manufacturing slowed. He relished being a mentor to the younger era of gamers who're placing their imprint on the group and was a reassuring presence to linemates Alex Iafallo and Blake Lizotte after he returned from a monthlong absence on account of a finger damage and helped the Kings battle for a playoff spot.
“Dustin Brown understands stress and he understands what it takes to get to the following stage and he’s actually displaying it,” group president Luc Robitaille stated final week. “We all know he’s been actually good within the room, too, with the younger guys, bringing in some stability. And clearly that line has made a giant distinction the final couple video games, and we do count on the identical shifting ahead. I’m actual completely happy that he’s capable of come again and actually make a giant distinction on our group.”
Requested final week earlier than the Kings clinched a playoff berth whether or not reaching the playoffs this season was important to extend followers’ perception that the group was headed the fitting manner, Brown had an attention-grabbing perspective. “I’d in all probability lengthen that to we have to make the playoffs so a few of our gamers begin believing it too,” he stated. “Organizationally we’ve been speaking a couple of rebuild and retooling, however there comes a time when it’s not a rebuild and it’s time to go. ... We’ve type of accomplished this earlier than, however I used to be in a special stage of my profession and also you take a look at issues otherwise. It’s undoubtedly good for everyone.”
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