Dustin Brown’s top 18 career moments as a King

It was last Spring when Dustin Brown decided to call it a career right before the end of last season. Brown’s final game was game 7 in the Kings’ first-round series with the Edmonton Oilers, which the Kings lost 2-0.

Fast forward nearly nine months later and Dustin Brown will be honored by the only franchise he ever played for. Throughout those 18 years, we saw some good teams, some bad teams, and two Stanley Cup championship teams. One constant through all of that was Dustin Brown. Today we will look back at his top 18 moments that you, the fans, and I suggested.

*Note: Thank you to everyone who offered a suggestion moment for this. This was a tough list to put together and not every moment suggested made the cut.

Here we go:

18. Drafted in 2003 (6/21/03):

The LA Kings held the 13th pick of the 2003 NHL draft and used that pick on an 18-year-old kid from Ithaca, New York. That 18-year-old was Dustin Brown. Before being drafted by the Kings, Brown spent three seasons in the OHL with the Guelph Storm recording 194 points in 174 games. Almost 20 years later, here is where Brown ranks in Kings history:

• 1,296 games played (1st)
• 325 goals (6th)
• 387 assists (8th)
• 712 points (7th)
• 106 power-play goals (5th)
• 42 game-winning goals (6th)
• Six hat tricks (tied for 6th with Wayne Gretzky)

Also, he helped captain the Kings to two Stanley Cups. While his numbers aren’t eye-popping, he was an impactful player for LA in those 18 seasons. Safe to say the organization made the right pick.

17. 300-3,000 club (1/14/21):

This is a rare feat that is accomplished. Only two players have joined the 300 goals and 3,000 hits club; one is Dustin Brown (Alex Ovechkin is the other). Throwing 3,000 hits and not missing many games is unheard of. That’s what makes this small accomplishment unique. It’s a small feat in one of many moments as a King for Brown.

16. 700 career points (1/13/22):

Before the 2021-2022 season, only six players in Kings history recorded 700 points for the franchise. On January 13th, 2022, Dustin Brown became the 7th player for the franchise to reach that feat with a power-play goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins. In typical Brown fashion, he was in front of the net on the power play, where he was positioned most of his career. He would record 12 more points the rest of the season and finished with 712 career points in his 18-year career.

15. First career goal (11/22/03):

Dustin Brown made his NHL debut on October 9th, 2003, against the Detroit Red Wings. Brown only played 8:18 of ice time that game as the Kings lost 3-2. While he didn’t get any points, he got a taste of what the NHL is like. Even though he had to wait over a month, Brown recorded his first career NHL goal on November 22nd, 2003, in a 2-0 victory over the Avalanche. Michael Cammalleri and Ziggy Palffy recorded the assists on the goal. Brown would record his last NHL goal on April 16th, 2022, in a 2-1 Kings win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.

14. First career playoff goal (4/21/10):

The 2010 playoffs marked the first time in eight years the LA Kings made it back to the playoffs. The Kings finished the 2009-2010 season as the 6th seed, led by a young core of Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown, Drew Doughty, and Jonathan Quick. After splitting the first two games against the Canucks in Vancouver, the 3rd seed, the Kings won game 3 by a score of 5-3 to take a 2-1 lead in the series.

With game 4 tied at one midway through the second period and the Kings on the power play, LA won the faceoff, and Fredrik Modin fed Brown the puck after a scramble off the draw and quickly fired one by the glove hand of Roberto Luongo. The goal gave the Kings a 2-1 but would drop game 4, and eventually the series in six games. Brown recorded 19 goals in 92 career playoff games.

13. Mark Messier leadership award winner 2014 (6/24/14):

Even though Dustin Brown delivered hard hits on the ice to his opponents, they were for a good cause. For many years Brown donated $50 for every hit to the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles’ Newborn and Infant Critical Care Unit for the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 seasons. Not only was he a leader on the ice, but he was also one off the ice. In 2014 he won the Mark Messier leadership award and was recognized for his commitment and service to charities in the community.

12. Named captain (10/8/08):

After Rob Blake departed in free agency in the Summer of 2008, the Kings were left without a captain. On October 8th, 2008, new head coach Terry Murray appointed Dustin Brown as the new team captain. At 23 years old, Brown was the youngest captain in team history and the 13th captain in team history. When giving Brown the “C”, Murray cited Brown’s work ethic, his care for the team, and his desire to win. While not much of a vocal guy, Brown led by example with his work ethic and play on the ice. Captains lead by example and Brown did that for eight years.

11. First career hat trick (12/11/08)

During his 18-year career, Dustin Brown recorded five hat tricks. His first one came on December 11th, 2008, in a home game against the St. Louis Blues. Before that game, Brown had nine multi-goal games and was never able to get to that third goal in any of those games. After scoring two power-play goals in the second period, Brown would get one more shot at that first hat trick. At the 12:45 mark of the third period Brown recorded his first career hat trick. Well, not the way it was by design. “I think my third goal went off my shin pad. I was standing in front of the net in the third, and it went off my shin pad”, Brown said in an interview with Mike Commito in 2018. The Kings won the game 6-2. A goal is a goal.

10. Game 2 SCF double overtime goal against the Rangers (6/7/14):

Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals was a wild one. For the third straight time, the Kings saw themselves down 2-0 to start a game. Trailing to start the third period 4-2, LA got goals from Dwight King and Marian Gaborik to tie the game. There would be no scoring the rest of the third period or the first overtime, so game 2 would require double overtime.

Captains step up in big moments, right? Well, Dustin Brown did just that by re-directing Willie Mitchell’s shot, in front of the net, by Henrik Lundqvist to win the game for the Kings and give them a 2-0 series lead heading to New York.

9. Game 4 against St. Louis in 2012 (5/6/12):

Game 4 against the St. Louis Blues marked the first time the Kings could sweep an opponent in the playoffs in franchise history. As he did in the previous round against the Vancouver Canucks, Dustin Brown stepped up when it mattered most. Late in the first period, Brown wired a shot by the glove of Brian Elliot to give the Kings a 2-1 lead that they would still hold on to late in the third period.

With their season on the line, the Blues pulled Elliot for the extra attacker. After Matt Greene cleared the puck to center ice, Anze Kopitar found Dustin Brown who put the puck into the empty net with 26 seconds left to make it 3-1. The win gave the Kings their first series sweep in franchise history. Again, captains step up in big moments.

8. Named captain in his final game (4/28/22):

As the Kings were preparing to play their final game of the 2021-2022 season, news broke that Dustin Brown would retire after the Kings’ playoff run. While it was a rough season for Brown as many Kings fans were hard on him, including myself, it was time to hang up the skates. Before the game, longtime friend and teammate Anze Kopitar, let Brown wear the “C” one more time. While the Kings lost the regular season finale, it was a heartful moment for Brown to wear the “C” again as he was the captain for the two Stanley Cup teams and for eight years overall.

7. Four-goal game against Minnesota (4/5/18):

Dustin Brown recorded three hat tricks in his career before the 2017-2018 season. After eclipsing the 15-goal mark once and not hitting the 40-point mark in the last five seasons, Brown had a resurgent 2017-2018 season recording 28 goals and 61 points. On April 5th, 2018, Brown recorded his 4th career hat trick against the Minnesota Wild in the second period. His hat trick goal gave the Kings a 4-2 lead heading into the second intermission.

That’s all right? Not so fast. The Wild ended up tying the game in the third period to force overtime. All it took was 23 seconds in the overtime session for Brown to end the game as he received a pass from Anze Kopitar and wired his fourth goal of the night to win it for the Kings. It was the only four-goal game of his career.

6. Hat trick against the Blackhawks after rumors of him possibly being traded (2/25/12):

Those rumors of the LA Kings possibly trading Dustin Brown seems like a distant memory. After the Kings acquired Jeff Carter from the Columbus Blue Jackets four days before the 2012 trade deadline, rumors swirled that Dustin Brown could be on the trading block. With the Kings playing the Chicago Blackhawks two days before the deadline, Brown recorded a hat trick early in the second period. I guess the rumors lit a fire under Brown. The Kings would keep Brown past the deadline and it worked out for both sides as Brown would record 20 points in the 2012 playoffs to help guide the Kings to their first Stanley Cup.

5. 1,000th career game ends in style (12/21/17):

Playing in 1,000 career games is a huge milestone in the NHL. Dustin Brown played in his 1,000th career on December 21st, 2017, against the Colorado Avalanche. Before Brown’s 1,000th game, only Dave Taylor played his first 1,000 games in the LA Kings organization. Brown recorded no points through 60 minutes of his 1,000th game, but with the score tied at one and heading into overtime, the hockey gods left an opening for a fairytale ending.

All it took was 44 seconds for Brown to score the winning goal in overtime to win it for the Kings. It also helped that he got a little bit of an assist from Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen bumping into each other during a change that freed him up to get a good scoring chance on Semyon Varlamov.

4. Passing Dave Taylor to become the all-time leader in games played for the Kings (3/28/19):

On March 28th, 2019, Dustin Brown became the all-time leader in games played for the Kings. Dave Taylor previously held the record for a long time with his 1,111 games played with the organization. What makes this accomplishment more fitting is that Taylor drafted Brown with the 13th overall pick in the 2003 draft. When Taylor shook Brown’s hand, little did he know he would draft the player that would pass him in all-time games played for the Kings and become a franchise icon. Brown finished his career with 1,296 games played.

3. Game 6 against New Jersy in 2012 (6/11/12):

After going up 3-0 in the series on the Devils, the Kings would lose games 4 and 5 as the series and had to play game 6 in LA. For the first time in the playoffs, the Kings faced adversity. At the 10:10 mark of the first period, the Kings were awarded a five-minute major power play after Steve Bernier was assessed a boarding penalty.

After recording only one assist through the first five games, Dustin Brown re-directed a Drew Doughty shot between the legs of Martin Brodeur to give the Kings a 1-0 lead. Then, 1:42 later, Alec Martinez dumped the puck into the left corner. As Brown came away with the puck, he skated to the slot and fired a shot that was deflected glove side on Brodeur by Jeff Carter to give the Kings a 2-0 lead. Brown would later record another assist in the second period to give him three points on the night. Again, he stepped up when he needed to and was a big reason why the Kings won their first-ever Stanley Cup championship that night.

2. Hit on Henrik Sedin (4/15/12):

The first two games in the first round of the 2012 playoffs against the Vancouver Canucks were physical. The Kings took a 2-0 series lead, and when the series shifted to LA for game 3, so did the hitting. Game 3 was scoreless early in the second period as the hits were piling up. One of those hits came on a clean shoulder hit from Dustin Brown on Henrik Sedin. Sedin had the puck in front of his bench and made a backhand pass to the middle of the ice. What he didn’t know was Brown was skating right behind him and as soon as Sedin turned around…BOOM! He caught a clean shoulder hit from Brown.

That wasn’t the only highlight of the night for Brown as he would record the only goal of the game in the third period as the Kings would go on to win game 3 by a score of 1-0. The Kings would eventually knock off the Canucks in five games to win their first playoff series in 11 years. This hit by Brown changed everything as it was the moment that kick-started the Kings 2012 cup run.

1. Raising the Cup (6/11/12 & 6/13/14):

Dustin Brown got to raise the Cup for the Kings twice. However, 2012 was a special one. On June 11th, 2012, Brown became the first Kings player to lift Hockey’s ultimate prize. Kings fans who stood by the team since the franchise joined the NHL as an expansion team in 1967 waited 45 years for someone to hoist the Stanley Cup. After commissioner Gary Bettman motioned for Brown to get the Stanley Cup, Brown couldn’t wait to snatch it from Bettman’s hands before posing for a picture with the commissioner. After the picture was taken Brown hoisted the Cup and the party was on for the 2012 Stanley Cup champions. Brown would guide the Kings to another Stanley Cup in 2014, and to this day, it’s the last playoff round the Kings have won

Dustin Brown is and always will be a King. Tonight the organization will give him the proper treatment he deserves. Thank you for the memories, Brown!

*All videos courtesy of YouTube