J. T. Brown (ice hockey)

J. T. Brown
Brown with the Minnesota Wild in January 2019
Born	(1990-07-02) July 2, 1990 (age 34) High Point, North Carolina, U.S.
Height	5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight	175 lb (79 kg; 12 st 7 lb)
Position	Right wing
Shot	Right
Played for	Tampa Bay Lightning Anaheim Ducks Minnesota Wild
National team	United States
NHL draft	Undrafted
Playing career	2010–2021

Joshua Thomas Brown (born July 2, 1990) is an American former professional ice hockey right winger who played for the Tampa Bay Lightning, Anaheim Ducks and Minnesota Wild. He is a TV analyst for the Seattle Kraken.

Playing career

Collegiate

Brown attended the University of Minnesota Duluth after playing junior hockey in the United States Hockey League (USHL) with the Waterloo Black Hawks. In 2011, he was named the Most Outstanding Player after winning the 2011 Frozen Four national championship with the Bulldogs.

Professional

Tampa Bay Lightning

Undrafted in the NHL, Brown signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning on March 28, 2012. Upon signing with Tampa Bay, Lightning General Manager Steve Yzerman said, "I'm anxious to see him play." ^[1] On March 31, 2012, Brown made his NHL debut in Tampa Bay's 3–2 overtime victory against the Winnipeg Jets. ^[2] On April 7, he recorded his first career NHL assist in a 4–3 overtime win, also coming against the Winnipeg Jets. ^[3]

Brown with the Syracuse Crunch in 2012

On September 9, 2012, the Tampa Bay Lightning assigned Brown, as well as 17 other players, to the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League (AHL), their top minor league affiliate. ^[4] This was done in part due to the ongoing 2012–13 NHL lockout that cancelled the first half of the 2012–13 season until late January. ^[5] On December 28, 2012, Brown sustained a shoulder injury in a 4–2 Crunch victory over the Norfolk Admirals. Prior to the injury, Brown had six goals, 17 points and four penalty minutes in 26 games for Syracuse. ^[6] It was revealed later in the day that Brown had suffered a broken collarbone, which required surgery to repair. Although expected to compete for a roster spot with the Lightning once NHL play resumed, the injury was expected to sideline him for six-to-eight weeks. ^[7]

On July 7, 2013, Tampa Bay announced that they had re-signed Brown to a one-year, two-way contract. At the end of the season, Brown had skated in 51 games with the Crunch, recording 10 goals and 28 points to go along with 27 penalty minutes. Additionally, he played in 18 Calder Cup playoff games with Syracuse, registering four goals and nine points to go along with 18 penalty minutes. ^[8]

On September 29, 2013, Brown was reassigned to the Crunch by the Lightning as part of roster cuts for the upcoming 2013–14 season. ^[9] On November 11, 2013, however, Tampa Bay recalled Brown from Syracuse. Prior to being recalled, Brown was on a two-game point streak, with a goal and an assist. ^[10] It was during this time that he received the nickname "Brownov" as the third player on a successful forward line with Russians Vladislav Namestnikov and Nikita Kucherov. ^[11]

Brown with the Tampa Bay Lightning in March 2014

On November 16, 2013, Brown scored his first career NHL goal in a 6–3 loss to the Phoenix Coyotes. ^[12]

On June 6, 2014, the Lightning announced the re-signing of forward Brown to a two-year, one-way contract. He appeared in 63 games with the Lightning during the 2014–15 season, posting four goals and 19 points while averaging 13:02 in ice time per game. Brown also played in all four Stanley Cup playoff games in 2014, notching two assists in Tampa Bay's four-game series defeat at the hands of the Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference First Round. During the post-season, Brown was averaging 14:59 minutes in ice time. ^[13]

On May 3, 2015, Brown scored his first career Stanley Cup playoff goal in a 6–2 Lightning win over the Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference Second Round in the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs. ^[14]

On June 24, 2016, the Lightning announced the re-signing of Brown to two-year contract extension. Brown played in 78 regular season games during the past season, recording eight goals and 22 points. Brown was tied for third on the team with a plus-16 rating. Brown set career bests in games played, goals, points, plus/minus and penalty minutes last season. He also appeared in nine Stanley Cup Playoff games, recording two assists and two penalty minutes. Brown has skated in 198 career NHL games, all with the Lightning over four seasons, registering 15 goals and 51 points. He also has skated in 37 playoff games, recording a goal and six points. ^[15]

On October 15, 2016, Brown skated in his 200th career NHL game, which came during a 3–2 Lightning win over the visiting New Jersey Devils. ^[16]

Anaheim Ducks

In his sixth season with the Lightning in the 2017–18 season, Brown was used in a reduced role. On January 13, 2018, Brown was placed on waivers by the Lightning after appearing in 24 games, and was then claimed by the Anaheim Ducks on January 14. ^[17] Brown played out the season with the Ducks, contributing with 1 goal and 3 points in 23 games in a fourth-line role.

Minnesota Wild

As a free agent from the Ducks in the off-season, Brown opted to return to his home state, securing a two-year $1.375 million contract with the Minnesota Wild on July 1, 2018. ^[18]

IF Björklöven

When the 2020–21 NHL season began on January 13, 2021, Brown was without a contract. One week later, on January 20, 2021, he signed a one-year contract with IF Björklöven of the HockeyAllsvenskan league. ^[19]

International play

Brown played with the U.S. national team at the 2012 IIHF World Championship. He scored his first goal against Kazakhstan on May 11, 2012.

Post-playing career

Brown in between the benches as a commentator in 2023.

On June 21, 2021, Brown joined Root Sports Northwest as a color commentator for the Seattle Kraken. ^[20] On February 17, 2022, Brown and Everett Fitzhugh called the Kraken's game against the Winnipeg Jets. The pairing was the first all-Black TV broadcast in NHL history. ^{[21] [22]}

Personal life

Brown was born in High Point, North Carolina, ^{[23] [24] [25]} and was raised in Rosemount, Minnesota. Brown is the son of former National Football League (NFL) running back Ted Brown, who played eight NFL seasons (1979–1986) for the Minnesota Vikings. ^[26] In an interview, Brown gave credit to his father for having played a vital role in being able to push his game to new heights. Speaking about his father, "he has always been someone to lean on. He and the rest of my family always have always really supported me. I can't thank them enough." ^[27]

On February 6, 2015, Brown married Lexi LaFleur. ^[28] The couple have two children. ^[29]

On September 28, 2017, before a preseason season game versus the Florida Panthers, Brown raised his fist during the U.S. national anthem, in an attempt to "bring awareness to police brutality and inequality for minorities." ^[30] He did the same on an October 7 game also against the Panthers, becoming the first NHL player to protest during the anthem in a regular season game. ^{[30] [31]} He stated that he had "received death threats" after the protest. ^[31] In the week following, he and a few teammates met with members of the Tampa Police Department after receiving an invitation from the interim police chief. ^[32] On October 18, Brown announced that he would no longer raise a fist during the anthem, but would continue to work to bring awareness around issues of police brutality and other racial inequalities and injustices. ^{[33] [34]}

In July 2018, Brown founded a charity marathon Fortnite event to raise funds for Hockey Is For Everyone. ^[35]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2005–06	Rosemount High School	HS-MN		—	19	7	26	—		—	—	—	—	—
2006–07	Rosemount High School	HS-MN		27	24	23	47	—		—	—	—	—	—
2007–08	Rosemount High School	HS-MN		24	32	35	67	26		—	—	—	—	—
2008–09	Waterloo Black Hawks	USHL		36	14	22	36	28		3	1	0	1	4
2009–10	Waterloo Black Hawks	USHL		60	34	43	77	64		3	1	0	1	0
2010–11	University of Minnesota Duluth	WCHA		42	16	21	37	50		—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	University of Minnesota Duluth	WCHA		39	24	23	47	59		—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	Tampa Bay Lightning	NHL		5	0	1	1	0		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	Syracuse Crunch	AHL		51	10	18	28	27		18	4	5	9	18
2013–14	Syracuse Crunch	AHL		13	4	6	10	24		—	—	—	—	—
2013–14	Tampa Bay Lightning	NHL		63	4	15	19	6		4	0	2	2	0
2014–15	Tampa Bay Lightning	NHL		52	3	6	9	30		24	1	1	2	0
2015–16	Tampa Bay Lightning	NHL		78	8	14	22	59		9	0	2	2	2
2016–17	Tampa Bay Lightning	NHL		64	3	3	6	73		—	—	—	—	—
2017–18	Tampa Bay Lightning	NHL		24	1	3	4	12		—	—	—	—	—
2017–18	Anaheim Ducks	NHL		23	1	2	3	12		4	0	0	0	0
2018–19	Minnesota Wild	NHL		56	3	5	8	29		—	—	—	—	—
2018–19	Iowa Wild	AHL		6	3	3	6	4		—	—	—	—	—
2019–20	Iowa Wild	AHL		62	9	13	22	55		—	—	—	—	—
2020–21	IF Björklöven	SWE.2		19	6	6	12	8		14	3	5	8	6
NHL totals				365	23	49	72	221		41	1	5	6	2

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2012	United States	WC	7th		6	1	1	2	0
Senior totals					6	1	1	2	0

Awards and honors

Award	Year	Ref
College
WCHA All-Rookie Team	2010–11	[36]
NCAA All-Tournament Team	2011	[37]
All-WCHA First Team	2011–12	[38]
AHCA West Second-Team All-American	2011–12

References

1. "Lightning sign top college free agent JT Brown". tbo.com. March 28, 2012. Archived from the original on February 3, 2013. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
2. Associated, Press (March 31, 2012). "Steven Stamkos scores NHL-best 56th goal in OT, lifts Lightning". ESPN NHL. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
3. Associated, Press (April 7, 2012). "Steven Stamkos reaches 60 goals as Lightning win season finale". ESPN NHL. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
4. Tampa Bay, Lightning (September 9, 2012). "Lightning Assign 18 Players to Syracuse of the AHL". Press Release. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
5. Associated, Press (January 6, 2013). "NHL Lockout Timeline: From The Start Of Bargaining To Tentative Agreement Being Reached". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on November 6, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
6. Cristodero, Damian (December 29, 2012). "Tampa Bay Lightning's J.T. Brown needs surgery to repair fractured collarbone (updated)". Tampa Bay times. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
7. Cristodero, Damian (December 29, 2012). "TLightning's J.T. Brown breaks collarbone in AHL game, will miss 6–8 weeks". Tampa Bay times. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
8. Tampa Bay, Lighting (July 7, 2013). "Lightning Re-sign Forward J.T. Brown". Press Release. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
9. Syracuse, Crunch (October 1, 2013). "Weekly Release — OCT. 1, 2013 — Vol. 20, No. 1". Syracuse Crunch. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
10. Tampa Bay, Lightning (November 11, 2013). "Lightning Recall Forward J.T. Brown, Defenseman Dmitry Korobov". Press Release. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
11. "Erlendsson, Erik. "Bolts Notes: Hedman using size, strength to become an offensive force," The Tampa Tribune, Sunday, October 12, 2014". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
12. Cristodero, Damian (November 17, 2013). "Rookie Brown seizing opportunity". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
13. Tampa Bay, Lightning (June 26, 2014). "Lightning Re-Sign Forward J.T. Brown". Press Release. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
14. Burns, Bryan (May 3, 2015). "Lightning power play sparks 6–2 victory in Game 2". Tampa Bay Lightning Beat Writer. Archived from the original on May 5, 2015. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
15. Tampa Bay, Lightning (June 24, 2016). "Lightning Re-Sign Forward J.T. Brown to Two-Year Contract". Tampa Bay Lightning. Archived from the original on June 30, 2016. Retrieved June 26, 2016.
16. Mooney, Roger (October 16, 2016). "Lightning goalie Vasilevskiy big when needed in first start". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on May 10, 2017. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
17. "Ducks Claim Brown on Waivers". NHL.com. January 14, 2018. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
18. "Brown returns home, signs two-year deal with Wild". Minnesota Wild. July 1, 2018. Archived from the original on July 2, 2018. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
19. Kassman, Mikael (January 20, 2021). "Två nyförvärv klara". IF Björklöven (in Swedish). Archived from the original on January 20, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
20. "On the Move - to Seattle". NHL.com. Archived from the original on June 21, 2021. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
21. Stone, Larry (February 15, 2022). "Kraken's Everett Fitzhugh, JT Brown embracing history as NHL's first Black broadcast team". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on February 16, 2022. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
22. "Seattle Kraken broadcasting duo makes NHL history as first all-Black TV crew". NPR.org. Archived from the original on February 21, 2022. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
23. "Lightning's J.T. Brown after raising fist during anthem at NHL game: 'I know I did what was right'". For The Win. October 8, 2017. Archived from the original on April 6, 2021. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
24. "J.T. Brown". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on October 2, 2020. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
25. "NCAA Frozen Four Records" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on October 18, 2018. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
26. Charley Walters (February 28, 2012). "Joe Webb rates higher than Christian Ponder". TwinCities.com. Archived from the original on April 26, 2014. Retrieved February 28, 2012.
27. Walsh, Clune (June 6, 2012). "The NHL's Viking Son". Tampa Bay Lightning. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
28. Erlendsson, Erik (February 13, 2016). "Tweet and meet: Lightning love story started online". Tampa Tribune. Archived from the original on September 3, 2017. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
29. "JT Brown's wife shares funny Fortnite meme that we can definitely relate to". BarDown. February 1, 2018. Archived from the original on February 2, 2018. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
30. Smith, Joe (October 7, 2017). "Lightning's J.T. Brown raises fist in protest during anthem before Panthers game". tampabay.com. Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on October 8, 2017. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
31. Livingstone, Flip (October 8, 2017). "Lightning's Brown: 'I have received death threats' after protest". The Score . Score Media Ventures Inc. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
32. Smith, Joe (October 15, 2018). "Lightning's J.T. Brown spent day with Tampa police. Here's what happened". tampabay.com. Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on October 18, 2017. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
33. Smith, Joe (October 18, 2018). "J.T. Brown won't raise fist, but plans to do more in community". tampabay.com. Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on October 18, 2017. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
34. @JTBrown23 (October 18, 2017). "Here's what's next" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
35. "Brown raised more than $1,300 during marathon charity 'Fortnite' event". NHL.com. July 26, 2018. Archived from the original on July 27, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
36. "Elite Prospects – Award – NCAA (WCHA) All-Rookie Team". www.eliteprospects.com. Archived from the original on July 8, 2017. Retrieved July 2, 2017.
37. "NCAA Frozen Four Records" (PDF). NCAA.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 18, 2018. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
38. "Patterson, Bjugstad named to all-WCHA first team". Minnesota Star Tribune. March 29, 2012. Archived from the original on December 27, 2013. Retrieved March 29, 2012.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com , or  Eliteprospects.com , or  Eurohockey.com , or  Hockey-Reference.com , or  The Internet Hockey Database

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Ben Smith	NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player 2011	Succeeded by Parker Milner