Curtis Brown (ice hockey)

Curtis Dean Brown (born February 12, 1976) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in the second round (43rd overall) of the 1994 NHL Entry Draft. Over his National Hockey League (NHL) career, he played for the Sabres, San Jose Sharks, and Chicago Blackhawks.

Curtis Brown
Born (1976-02-12) February 12, 1976 (age 48)
Unity, Saskatchewan, Canada
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb)
Position Forward
Shot Left
Played for Buffalo Sabres
San Jose Sharks
Chicago Blackhawks
Kloten Flyers
EHC Biel
National team  Canada
NHL draft 43rd overall, 1994
Buffalo Sabres
Playing career 1994–2011

Brown served as a Sharks pregame and postgame analyst on NBC Sports California until 2023 when he moved to Nebraska to accept a position with the Lincoln Stars. As of 2024, Brown is the head coach and general manager of the Lincoln Stars AAA team.

Playing career

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Brown was drafted in the second round of the 1994 NHL Entry Draft by the Buffalo Sabres. After finishing the 1994–95 WHL season with the Moose Jaw Warriors, he debuted with the Sabres on May 3, 1995 against the New Jersey Devils and scored a goal and an assist.

Brown returned to the WHL for 1995–96 and was traded from Moose Jaw to the Prince Albert Raiders before finishing out the season with Buffalo.

By 1997–98, Brown became a full-time player for the Sabres, usually on the third line.

In March 2004, Brown was traded to the San Jose Sharks in a three-way trade that saw Buffalo acquire Jeff Jillson from Boston while they received Brad Boyes and Andy Delmore. Brown played only 12 games for San Jose, however, and spent the 2004 NHL lockout season in the ECHL with the San Diego Gulls.

On July 2, 2004, Brown signed a four-year deal with the Chicago Blackhawks, only to be bought out after only one NHL season. Brown was the first player ever to have his contract bought out.

Brown signed with San Jose as an unrestricted free agent in July 2006. The two-year deal was worth just $1.4 million, with Brown stating that he signed for such a relatively low salary because he had already received money from Chicago's buy-out.

On July 17, 2008, Brown completed his NHL career and signed with the Kloten Flyers of the Swiss Nationalliga A where he played for one season. He then switched to defense and played the final two seasons of his career with EHC Biel before retiring.

Personal life

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Brown, of Christian faith, has a wife, Ami. The couple had a daughter, Aubri who died in late 2005 of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. The death of their daughter inspired them to create The Aubri Brown Foundation, a foundation that helps parents going through the loss of their children.[1] They have three sons, Gage, Garrett, and Griffin.[2]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1991–92 Moose Jaw Warriors WHL 1 0 0 0 0
1992–93 Moose Jaw Warriors WHL 71 13 16 29 30
1993–94 Moose Jaw Warriors WHL 72 27 38 65 82
1994–95 Moose Jaw Warriors WHL 70 51 53 104 63 10 8 7 15 20
1994–95 Buffalo Sabres NHL 1 1 1 2 2
1995–96 Moose Jaw Warriors WHL 25 20 18 38 30
1995–96 Prince Albert Raiders WHL 19 12 21 33 8 18 10 15 25 18
1995–96 Buffalo Sabres NHL 4 0 0 0 0
1995–96 Rochester Americans AHL 12 0 1 1 2
1996–97 Rochester Americans AHL 51 22 21 43 30 10 4 6 10 4
1996–97 Buffalo Sabres NHL 28 4 3 7 18
1997–98 Buffalo Sabres NHL 63 12 12 24 34 13 1 2 3 10
1998–99 Buffalo Sabres NHL 78 16 31 47 56 21 7 6 13 10
1999–00 Buffalo Sabres NHL 74 22 29 51 42 5 1 3 4 6
2000–01 Buffalo Sabres NHL 70 10 22 32 34 13 5 0 5 8
2001–02 Buffalo Sabres NHL 82 20 17 37 32
2002–03 Buffalo Sabres NHL 74 15 16 31 40
2003–04 Buffalo Sabres NHL 68 9 12 21 30
2003–04 San Jose Sharks NHL 12 2 2 4 6 17 0 2 2 18
2004–05 San Diego Gulls ECHL 47 9 29 38 24
2005–06 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 71 5 10 15 38
2006–07 San Jose Sharks NHL 78 8 12 20 56 11 0 2 2 2
2007–08 San Jose Sharks NHL 33 5 4 9 10 7 0 0 0 4
2008–09 Kloten Flyers NLA 44 10 13 23 26 15 4 5 9 20
2009–10 EHC Biel NLA 49 9 17 26 24
2010–11 EHC Biel NLA 29 3 5 8 20
NHL totals 736 129 171 300 398 87 14 15 29 58
AHL totals 51 22 21 43 30 22 4 7 11 6
NLA totals 122 22 35 57 70

International

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Medal record
Representing   Canada
Men's ice hockey
World Junior Championships
  1996 United States
Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM
1996 Canada WJC 5 0 1 1 2
2000 Canada WC 9 1 3 4 8
Junior totals 5 0 1 1 2
Senior totals 9 1 3 4 8

Awards

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  • WHL East First All-Star Team – 1995
  • WHL East Second All-Star Team – 1996

References

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  1. ^ "About | The Aubri Brown Club". Retrieved 2021-05-25.
  2. ^ "Curtis Brown: Strength of Character". Top Shelf Hockey. 2007-03-13. Archived from the original on 2011-07-04. Retrieved 2011-03-13.
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