It's tough to find a place in the spotlight when you're surrounded by the likes of Paul Coffey, Sergei Fedorov, Mike Vernon and Steve Yzerman. Doug Brown is sneaking in there once in awhile, however, to the delight of his teammates and to the dismay of his opponents.
The nine-year NHLer is enjoying the best playoff performance of his career. Known more for his penalty-killing and defensive abilities, Brown scored five times in Detroit's 11 games this postseason to rank behind only Vyacheslav Kozlov and Dino Ciccarelli in the goal-scoring department. His plus-minus ranking of plus-12 was topped only by Kozlov at plus-13.
"Nothing's pretty in the playoffs," said Brown, who tied the score late in the third period of Detroit's 3-2 victory in Game 2 last Sunday. "You just keep going to the net, keep shooting and hope you can jimmy one."
The Massachusetts native has been a welcome addition to the Red Wings since being acquired in the waiver draft from Pittsburgh in January. He provided 21 points in 45 games during the regular season and has been a key figure in the Red Wings' improved defensive play. He's also been tagged with the nickname "Brownov" since Scotty Bowman has put him on a unit with Fedorov, Kozlov, Vladimir Konstantinov and Viacheslav Fetisov.
Playing among heavyweights isn't new to Brown, who was teammates with Kevin Stevens and Craig Janney during his four-year stay at Boston College. Signed originally as a free agent by New Jersey in 1986, Brown has played on three American squads at the World Hockey Championship and he was a member of Team USA in the 1991 Canada Cup.