Stanley Cup Heroes, Part 1: The Hit that Started it All

I talked about this in my Jonathan Quick dyk, but the 2012 Kings entered the playoffs as an 8th seed and left them as the greatest 8th seed in sports history after winning the Stanley Cup in dominant fashion. They were so good that their regular season performance is the only thing keeping them away from the greatest team of all time discussions. Since I already talked about the most important compound, I want to talk about an incident that is considered THE catalyst for LA’s run. LA’s 1st round opponent was the Vancouver Canucks. They were the best team in the NHL, having repeated as the Presidents Trophy winner. They were also coming off a heartbreaking loss in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final in 2011. This was a down year by Vancouver’s lofty standards, but they remained ever potent. The Canucks were led by captain Henrik Sedin, one of the vaunted Sedin twins alongside his brother Daniel. Henrik had straight up been one of the 5 best players since the lockout. He was also the best passer in hockey, finishing with the most assists for the 3rd straight season. He was a genuine superstar and future Hall of Famer. The Kings were led on the ice by their tremendous goaltender, but their emotional leader was captain Dustin Brown. The American was drafted back in 2003 and was seen as the future during the 2005 lockout. While only 27, he was actually the longest tenured King and had even earned an ‘A’ during the 2010 Winter Olympics for Team USA. His bruising hard-working playstyle was admired by many. He may not lead them on the scoreboard, but he would be trusted to set the tone. Heading into this series, Vancouver wasn’t seen as invincible by any means. At the same time, they were the clear favourites. The consensus was LA could make it tough with elite play from Quick, but the Canucks would find a way to beat them. After 2 games, LA shocked everyone and had a 2-0 series lead. It wouldn’t mean anything if LA couldn’t capitalize. In Game 3, Vancouver remained resilient. They were dominating play after the 1st period. Even without his twin, Henrik remained a threat that had to be accounted for. Just a few minutes into the 2nd, Sedin laid off a backhand pass from in front of the Canucks bench and BANG. Dustin Brown pulverized Henrik Sedin. Teammate Mike Richards said he heard the hit before he saw it. The Canucks captain was clearly shaken up and could be seen scratching at the bench door while writhing on the ice. The tone had been set. LA would win that game off a Dustin Brown goal in the 3rd and win the series in 5, a major upset. To Henrik Sedin’s credit, the captain, who had unfairly been called soft by many the last 2 years, admitted the hit was clean despite many arguing the contrary. Taking that stance takes a lot more guts than everyone calling him soft had together. Henrik backed it up and was Vancouver’s best player. They just couldn’t overcome a juggernaut in the making. Dustin Brown scored 4 goals in 5 games against Vancouver and led the Kings in goals (8), assists (12), points (20) and plus/minus (+16) in the 2012 playoffs, all of which was tied with Anze Kopitar. If not for Quick’s ridiculous performance, he probably wins the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP. He captained the Kings to a 2nd Cup in 2014. Dustin Brown will not be inducted in the Hall of Fame. However, he will forever be a Kings legend, maybe their greatest captain not named Anze Kopitar and a Stanley Cup hero.