Robert William Brown (born April 10, 1968) is a Canadian former

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who work (human activity), works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the partic ...

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

right winger In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

. He is best known for his time spent playing for the

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. The Penguins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), E ...

from his debut in

1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

until

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

, and then again from

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

until

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

. Between and following these stints, Brown shuffled between minor league teams in the International Hockey League (IHL) and other NHL teams, including the

Hartford Whalers The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its 25-year existence in Hartford, Connecticut. The club played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1972 until 1979, and in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1 ...

Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (N ...

Dallas Stars The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. The Stars compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The Stars ...

, and

Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The Kings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. ...

Playing career

As a youth, he played in the 1981

Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament The Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament () is an annual minor ice hockey event in Quebec City. The tournament was founded in 1960 to coincide with the Quebec Winter Carnival, and give an opportunity for international competition to p ...

with a

minor ice hockey Minor ice hockey or minor hockey is an umbrella term for amateur ice hockey which is played below the junior age level. Players are classified by age, with each age group playing in its own league. The rules, especially as it relates to body c ...

team from

Oshawa Oshawa is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the Lake Ontario shoreline. It lies in Southern Ontario, approximately east of downtown Toronto. It is commonly viewed as the eastern anchor of the Greater Toronto Area and of the Golden Horseshoe. It ...

. Brown was a prolific scorer at the junior level, averaging over two points per game during his junior career. In particular, Brown flourished in 1986-87 winning multiple awards including Most Valuable Player (West), Top Scorer (West), and the inaugural

WHL Plus-Minus Award The Plus-Minus Award is given annually to the player who finishes with the top plus/minus in the Western Hockey League. It has been awarded since 1987. List of winners See also *AutoPro Plaque - Quebec Major Junior Hockey League The Quebec ...

. Brown also set the current Western Hockey League records for both assists and points with 136 and 212 respectively. He was also named

CHL Player of the Year The David Branch Player of the Year award is given out annually to the player judged to be the most outstanding in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). It is selected from three most valuable players of the respective leagues; the Red Tilson Troph ...

for the 1986-87 season. Brown won a gold medal as a member of Team Canada at the

1988 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships The 1988 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships was the 12th edition of the Ice Hockey World Junior Championship and was held in Moscow, Soviet Union. Canada and the Soviet Union won the gold and silver medals respectively as the two nations rede ...

. Brown was drafted 67th overall by the

in the 1986 NHL Entry Draft. His best statistical NHL season was the 1988–89 season, when he played on a line with

Mario Lemieux Mario Lemieux (; ; born October 5, 1965) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played parts of 17 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Pittsburgh Penguins between 1984–85 NHL season, 1984 and 2005–06 NHL se ...

; placing fifth in league scoring, he set career highs with 49 goals, 66 assists, 115 points, 24 power play goals, 6 game-winning goals, and a +27 plus/minus rating. He was also the starting right winger for the

40th National Hockey League All-Star Game The 40th National Hockey League All-Star Game was held at Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton, home to the Edmonton Oilers, on February 7, 1989. The return of Wayne Gretzky The previous year saw the then-unthinkable trade of Wayne Gretzky to the L ...

. The next season, he scored at a point-per-game average, registering 80 points in 80 games. Brown was traded on December 21, 1990 to the

for Scott Young. In parts of two seasons, Brown had 73 points in 86 games for the Whalers before being traded on January 24, 1992 to the

in exchange for

Steve Konroyd Stephen Mark Konroyd (born February 10, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He formerly served as a co-host of intermission and post-game segments on NBC Sports Chicago broadcasts of Chicago Blackhawks' games. Playing ...

. Brown finished the 1991-92 season playing 25 games for Chicago registering 16 points. In 1992-93, Brown split time with the Chicago Blackhawks and their minor league team the

Indianapolis Ice The Indianapolis Ice were a minor league professional ice hockey team based in Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indian ...

. During the next few years, Brown would sign contracts with the Dallas Stars and Los Angeles Kings, but mostly played in the IHL. Brown led the IHL in scoring for three years and was awarded the

James Gatschene Memorial Trophy The James Gatschene Memorial Trophy was awarded annually to the International Hockey League player selected as most valuable through his display of outstanding playing ability and sportsmanlike conduct over the course of the regular season, as ch ...

for league MVP in 1993-94. His scoring production at the IHL level did not go unnoticed and on October 1, 1997 Brown returned to the Pittsburgh Penguins, signing a contract as a free agent. Brown played the next three seasons there, playing a total of 190 games while contributing 87 points. Brown then returned to the minors, ending his career with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL in 2003. Brown served as a colour commentator for the Edmonton Oilers pay-per-view, and currently is an analyst on 880 CHED for Edmonton Oilers games. In addition to his work on 880 CHED, Brown is also a regular contributor to the Got Yer Back podcast, which is co-hosted by former Oilers defenceman

Jason Strudwick Jason Wayne Strudwick (born July 17, 1975) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman and current broadcaster. Playing career Strudwick was drafted in the third round, 63rd overall, by the New York Islanders in the 1994 NHL Entry ...

and sports journalist Ryan Rishaug. He also became a hockey instructor with the St. Albert Sports Academy, St. Francis Xavier Hockey Academy, and NAX Hockey Academy.

Personal life

Brown was born in

Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the northeastern end of Lake Ontario. It is at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River, the south end of the Rideau Canal. Kingston is near the Thousand Islands, ...

, but grew up in St. Albert, Alberta. Rob also spent some early years in Oshawa and Kitchener, Ontario.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards

* Bob Brownridge Memorial Trophy (WHL leading scorer) - 1986 * WHL West First All-Star Team – 1986 & 1987

References

External links

*
Down Goes Brown
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Rob 1968 births Canadian ice hockey right wingers Canadian people of British descent Chicago Blackhawks players Chicago Wolves players Dallas Stars players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Hartford Whalers players 20th-century Canadian sportsmen Ice hockey people from St. Albert, Alberta St. Albert Saints players Kamloops Blazers players Kamloops Junior Oilers players Kalamazoo Wings (1974–2000) players Living people Los Angeles Kings players National Hockey League All-Stars Phoenix Roadrunners (IHL) players Pittsburgh Penguins draft picks Pittsburgh Penguins players Ice hockey people from Kingston, Ontario