Dustin Brown of the Los Angeles Kings is getting his number retired after calling it a career at the end of the 2021-22 NHL season. Brown spent his entire 18-year career in Los Angeles, and the team announcing his jersey retirement night already is a good move from the franchise.
In his time with the Los Angeles Kings, Dustin Brown played in 1296 games since being drafted 13th overall in the 2003 NHL Draft. He captained the Kings to two Stanley Cups in 2012 and 2014.
Brown leads the franchise in games played and he is the only player that has captained a championship for the franchise. Brown was never really the best player on the Kings roster but his worth ethic and willingness to do anything to win really separated him from the rest.
The news of Dustin Brown retiring came during last season when he announced this year would be his last. The Kings got back into the postseason for the first time since 2018, and Brown got to play in all seven games of the Kings’ first-round loss to the Edmonton Oilers.
The Kings announced on Tuesday that they would retire Dustin Brown’s jersey number and unveil a statue for him.
https://twitter.com/LAKings/status/1551983318345842688?s=20&t=7EOoAYmGWaYHb2noAS-dMg
This is the right move in my opinion. Brown led the Kings to two championships and spent a great amount of time with the team. I know some fans are upset about his contract or the fact that the captaincy got taken away from him, but at the end of the day, the role he played in winning two Stanley Cups has earned this honor.
Here is a look at Brown’s career stats with the Kings:
Brown, Doughty, Kopitar and Quick are all some of the best players to ever play for the Kings, and they are going to all be honored when their careers are over. Even though Brown might not be heading to the Hall of Fame, he is heading to the hall of fame of this franchise.
The retirement ceremony and statue unveiling is set for February 11th, 2023 against the Pittsburgh Penguins.