Former Los Angeles Kings captain Dustin Brown will have his No. 23 jersey retired on Feb. 11 before the team hosts the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Brown, 37, retired after the Kings were eliminated by the Edmonton Oilers in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs this past spring. A statue also will be unveiled in his honor at Crypto.com Arena.
“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 amongst 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.”
Brown totaled 712 points (325 goals, 387 assists) in a franchise-record 1,296 regular-season games.
He was named the team’s captain on Oct. 8, 2008, and held that distinction until Anze Kopitar assumed the role on June 16, 2016.
Brown was the captain of two Stanley Cup championship teams (2012, 2014) and had 49 points (19 goals, 30 assists) in 92 postseason contests. He scored 14 of his postseason goals during the two Stanley Cup-winning campaigns and tied for most goals (eight) and points (20) during the 2012 postseason.
Brown scored a career-best 33 goals for the Kings during the 2007-08 season. He topped 20 goals on six other occasions for the Kings, who selected him with the 13th overall pick in the 2003 NHL Draft.
“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 join Rob Blake (4), Marcel Dionne (16), Dave Taylor (18), Robitaille (20), Rogie Vachon (30) and Wayne Gretzky (99) in having their respective numbers retired by the Kings.
–Field Level Media