Jeff Brown was a mobile defenceman who played over 700 games for six different NHL clubs. He was a superior passer who liked to gamble by rushing with the puck or pinching in from the blueline. Following one season with the Hawkesbury Hawks, Brown moved on to star for four seasons with the Sudbury Wolves of the OHL. He was chosen 36th overall by the Quebec Nordiques at the 1984 Entry Draft and was one of their few positive stories in the late 1980s. Brown was a top point producer for the club and scored 13 power play goals in 1988-89. The clever blueliner was one of many bodies moved when the Nordiques cleaned house at the start of the '90s. He joined the St. Louis Blues in 1989-90 and immediately upgraded their power play and transition game. In 1990-91, he helped the club attain 105 points and scored a key overtime goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the hotly contested Norris Division final series in 1993. Late in the 1993-94 season Brown was acquired by the Vancouver Canucks in time for their drive to the Stanley Cup finals. His mobility and experience helped the club come within one game of winning it all in a tough series against the New York Rangers. During his last three seasons he played for the Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Washington Capitals. He retired after the 1997-98 season, a tumultuous year in which he became seriously ill with the flesh-eating disease. Brown retired with nearly 600 career points and the reputation of being one of the best power play specialists of his time. Brown’s coaching career includes the 2005-2006 season with the now defunct UHL’s Missouri River Otters and eight years with the St. Louis Blues AAA organization. He is currently the Head Coach of the NAHL Junior A St-Louis Bandits. Brown currently resides in Chesterfield, MO with his wife Laina and three children, Jenna, Logan and Caden.
|