Dustin Brown will have his no. 23 retired by the Los Angeles Kings on Feb. 11 before they play the Pittsburgh Penguins at Crypto.com Arena.
The 37-year-old forward, who retired after the Kings were eliminated with a 2-0 loss to the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 of the Western Conference First Round last season, will also have a statue unveiled in his honor.
“Having my number retired is something I never imagined and is a humbling honor,” Brown said. “I am incredibly proud that I played for the LA Kings my entire career. With my number going to the rafters, I am honored to be among the King greats, but it makes me think of the two (Stanley Cup) banners already in the rafters, of which I am most proud. It took numerous people to raise those two banners; the same is true for this one. Thank you to all who have helped me achieve my dreams.”
Selected by Los Angeles in the first round (No. 13) in the 2003 NHL Draft, Brown had 712 points (325 goals, 387 assists) in 1,296 regular-season games with the Kings over 18 seasons. He is first in their history in games played (sixth among United States-born players in NHL history), sixth in goals, eighth in assists and seventh in points.
Brown also had 49 points (19 goals, 30 assists) in 92 Stanley Cup Playoff games. He won the Cup in 2012 and 2014.
“Since Dustin first joined our organization nearly 20 years ago, he has represented the LA Kings with incredible class and passion,” Kings president Luc Robitaille said. “In addition to enjoying an outstanding playing career and leading us to moments we had never experienced with two Stanley Cups, he has been a standout in the Southern California community and set the course for our franchise.”
Brown will be the seventh Kings player to have his number retired, joining Rob Blake (4), Marcel Dionne (16), Dave Taylor (18), Luc Robitaille (20), Rogie Vachon (30) and Wayne Gretzky (99).
Among his other accomplishments, in 2014 Brown won the Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award, which is given to the player who exemplifies great leadership qualities to his team on and off the ice during the regular season, and in 2011 won the NHL Foundation Player Award as someone who applies the core values of hockey — commitment, perseverance and teamwork — to enrich the lives of people in his community. He also played in the NHL All-Star Game in 2009.
Brown was named the 15th captain in Kings history Oct. 8, 2008, becoming the youngest (23 years old) and first US-born captain in their history. He also became the second US-born captain to win the Stanley Cup in 2012 when the Kings defeated the New Jersey Devils in six games (Derian Hatcher was the first with the Dallas Stars in 1999).
Although he was replaced as captain by Anze Kopitar on June 16, 2016, Brown was an alternate for his final four seasons from 2018-22.
Brown won the silver medal with the United States at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and was an alternate at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, when the United States finished fourth. He also won bronze at the 2004 IIHF World Championship.
“This is indeed a very well-deserved honor and I look forward to an incredible celebration for Dustin, (wife) Nicole, and their family, while sharing his legacy with our fans at our home arena for what promises to be a special night. Robitaille said.
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