LOS ANGELES –– Saturday’s celebration of Dustin Brown was less a moment in time than a stoppage of it where memories and emotions coalesced in a stirring tribute to the first King to ever lift the Stanley Cup.
Brown became the eighth individual in franchise history to have a banner commemorating his contributions hung from the rafters at Crypto.com Arena, and five of the other seven honorees were on hand alongside a cornucopia of family, former teammates and friends. He also became the third Kings player to have a statue erected in Star Plaza, joining Wayne Gretzky and Luc Robitaille.
“Every number hanging up there has made a mark on this team’s history and DNA. It is my honor to join them,” Brown said.
From his billet family to his immediate family, Brown had his supporting cast on hand and made them the stars of his speech, along with the fans and figures that helped him elevate the Kings from also-ran to two-time Stanley Cup champion.
Foremost among them was his wife Nicole, who was both the president of his unofficial fan club and his harshest critic during his career.
“Through it all, my one constant was you. You kept me going and I love you very much,” Brown said.
He thanked fans for their patience, for their patronage and for sharing his dream to bring the Stanley Cup to Los Angeles. Former Kings defenseman Rob Scuderi said only in Los Angeles could a vision like Brown’s come to fruition, one that Brown reified over nearly 1,400 total games but stated almost immediately upon his arrival to training camp as a teenager two decades ago.
Naturally, Brown’s bone-rattling hit on Henrik Sedin in Game 3 of the Kings’ 2012 first-round playoff series against the favored Vancouver Canucks was mentioned. It helped swing the series and garner momentum, but Brown also scored the game-winning goal in a 1-0 affair that was emblematic of the low-scoring, high-character triumphs of the Kings during Brown’s captaincy.
The lovefest wasn’t without…
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