Los Angeles Kings forward Dustin Brown to retire after 2022 playoffs
Dustin Brown’s time to hang up the skates has come.
The Kings lifer is set to retire following the conclusion of the team’s season. Drafted 13th overall by Los Angeles in the 2003 draft, Brown has spent his full 18-year NHL career with the Kings.
He’s appeared in 1295 NHL games, a franchise-record, scoring 325 goals and 712 points. Named captain ahead of the 2008-09 season, Brown was a key cog in the cup wins in 2012 and 2014 and is now set for his eighth appearance in the post-season with a first-round matchup against the Edmonton Oilers. He relinquished his captaincy to Anze Kopitar ahead of the 2016-17 campaign.
Known for his gritty, physical style of play, the 37-year-old’s most offensively productive season came in the 2017-18 season where he scored 28 goals and 61 points. His game in the playoffs, however, elevated in their Stanley Cup-winning seasons.
In the 2011-12 win, he scored eight goals and 20 points in 20 games, while in their 2014 win, he scored six goals and 14 points in 26 games.
At the time of writing, there are just 16 players still active from the 2003 draft class, one that is widely considered to be one of the best in the league’s history: Marc-Andre Fleury, Ryan Suter, Jeff Carter, Brown, Zach Parise, Ryan Getzlaf, Brent Burns, Brian Boyle, Corey Perry, Loui Eriksson, Patrice Bergeron, Brad Richardson, Nate Thompson, Joe Pavelski, Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliot. Beyond Brown, the only other player who has announced their retirement this season is Getzlaf.
Nonetheless, it’s hard to imagine Brown’s No. 23 not sitting in the rafters in LA. Only six players have had their numbers retired in Kings history: Rob Blake’s No. 4, Marcel Dionne’s No. 16, Dave Taylor’s No. 18, Luc Robitaille’s No. 20 and Rogie Vachon’s No. 30.
Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.