Enforcer Advent Calendar – December 13th – Dave Brown
The December Enforcer Advent Calendar continues with some legends you may know, and some you may not. Just like the Advent Calendars you opened as a kid, you might find a chocolate reindeer, candy cane or bell, you never know, it’s all random! This calendar is no different, you never know what enforcer you’re going to open up and find. Every enforcer that appears in this calendar was/is a warrior and should be applauded for their battles on-the-ice and off. For many of you, this will be a reminder of some of your favourites, for others, you may learn something about a player that you didn’t know. Either way, let’s have some fun celebrating these fellas!
Past Poster Boys –
December 1st – John “Fergy” Ferguson Sr. December 2nd – Tony “Twister” Twist
December 3rd- Dave “Cementhead” Semenko December 4th – Ryan “Muffin Man” Reaves
December 5th – Darren “Big Mac” McCarty December 6th – Colton “Bobby” Orr
December 7th – Stan “Bulldog” Jonathan December 8th – Lyle “Cornelius” Odelein
December 9th –Krzysztof “The Polish Hammer” Oliwa December 10th – Stu “The Grim Reaper” Grimson
December 11th – Basil “Baz” McRae December 12th – Jordan “Tootoo Train” Tootoo
December 13th – Dave Brown
“The left-handed are precious; they take places which are inconvenient for the rest.” – Victor Hugo.
The French poet likely wasn’t referring to NHL enforcers, but Dave Brown’s relationship with his fellow combatants epitomized this quote. The Saskatoon native was something special and those that were lucky enough to watch him live will anoint his left-hand as one of the strongest punches they’ve ever seen. During his playing days, Brown stood 6’5” and 210lbs with a left-hand that not only kept enforcers up at night, but the opposition as a whole – he was never one to discriminate. Whoever wanted a scrap, and even those that didn’t, Brown was there. The former Saskatoon Blade wreaked havoc in the NHL for 15 seasons and, while he was never one to light the lamp, he tallied 1789 penalty minutes including a career-high of 277’ in the 1985-86 season. While the ‘Greatest Fighter of All-Time” moniker has been bestowed upon the likes of Probert, Boogaard and Domi, for any fan from the City of Brotherly Love, it will always be ‘Browny.’
Dave Brown vs Jay Miller – November 24, 1988 – 2nd period – 15:35
These heavyweights just missed out on their invitation to the Deca Dance Club because they fell one fight short of the elusive 10 bouts. The rivalry between Philly and Boston went from the 76ers vs the Celtics, to the “Big Bad Bruins” against the “Broad Street Bullies.” Less than a 6-hour drive from each other, taking a road-trip to express your disdain for one of these two teams and in hopes of witnessing a fight between these two players was well worth it. The Brown vs Miller battles were legendary because, aside from one off-balanced fight, they were all epic, so fans knew that when they saw Boston and Philly on the schedule they were in for a show. The two heavyweights locked up near the end of the second period and let off some absolute haymakers. Once again, the ‘homer’ announcers reared their ugly heads, insinuating that Miller dominated this fight because he landed a big right hand. Umm… I’m going to have to give them the benefit of the doubt that they were distracted for the rest of the fight because Brown landed some lefts that rocked the University of New Hampshire alumnus. I’ll give it to Miller – his right clearly shook Brown and forced him to tie up, but once Brown was able to compose himself, he landed a few big lefts that sent the Bruins enforcer to the ice. Although Craig Berube was the initial apple of Miller’s eyes, Brown snuck in there to defend his teammate and scored the decision. The Bruins held on for a 2-1 OT win that Thursday night, but for fight fans, another vintage bout was added to the Brown and Miller collection.
Dave Brown vs Stu Grimson – January 9, 1990 – 1st period – 4:05
The rookie knew that carving out his spot in the lineup required he take on the NHL’s unofficial heavyweight champion. Miraculously, Stu Grimson skated away victorious in his first bout against Dave Brown. But, recalling the battle, Grimson felt obligated to quote Charles Dickens – “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” because he knew Dave Brown wasn’t going to let it slide and would want redemption when the Flames and Oilers met again a week later in the Saddledome. The left hand of Brown was strong enough to punch through a brick-wall so Grimson’s face was no contest. And while “The Grim Reaper” had restrained Brown’s lethal left in their previous bout, he wasn’t so lucky at the start of 1990. Brown didn’t waste any time exacting his revenge and grabbed Grimson near the blue line to deliver an absolute beat down. Grimson has since joked that if he had just been able to restrain Brown’s left it would have been a different story but – spoiler alert – he didn’t. The turning point was when Grimson tried to throw a right hand, which Brown simultaneously blocked and stepped back, establishing leverage to unload a flurry of left-hooks. Grimson stood as long as he could but when all was said-and-done, Brown stared down at his knuckles. Tossing his infamous glare at the Flames bench, Brown offered a reminder of the damage he’d just inflicted and let everyone know that nobody was going to get the upper-hand on him, or his team. While Stu Grimson had every intention of leaving the penalty box to redeem himself against the Oilers enforcer, while serving the penalty he noticed a depression under his right eye and made the smart decision to seek out a doctor. Thankfully he did, because he was later diagnosed with a broken cheek and orbital bone. I suggest that those who are sensitive to profanity or good ol’ hockey chirps refrain from watching the end of the following video. The animosity brought by the Battle of Alberta was on full-display that night when Brown quipped back at a trash-talking Flames bench with, “Timmy, you got those gloves cemented on over there?” Clearly, Brown didn’t respect Tim Hunter’s choice to have a rookie step-up to him while he rode the pine.
Dave Brown vs Tie Domi – November 19, 1992 – 2nd period – 12:04
Unfortunately, many of us aren’t lucky enough to talk, meet or even see our childhood idols. On a cold Thursday night at The Spectrum in Philadelphia, Tie Domi got to talk, meet and scrap with his. Dave Brown clearly had no idea about Domi’s admiration because he didn’t take it easy on the Windsor, Ontario native. If anything, he pounded him more than he did the others. Domi was always a showman and even after the beating still had a smile on his face – he’d finally fought the enforcer he genuinely revered. The two locked up after Domi collided with the Flyers’ netminder Dominic Roussel. Domi crashed hard into the end boards and looked clearly shaken but that didn’t matter to Brown. If you touched his goalie, he was coming for you, no matter what state you were in. Domi’s uncanny ability to withstand a few blows helped him endure until he was able to overcome his reach disadvantage and land a timely right-hand. Nevertheless, Brown’s reach advantage was too much for the much smaller Domi who was fed a series of left-hands until the linesmen felt obligated to jump-in and end the one-sided affair. Always a feisty fighter, Domi tried to sneak in a quick right hand as the fight ended but it just wasn’t his night and he caught nothing but air. I would have loved to have been a fly-on-the-wall as the two heavyweights chatted with each other after the bout. Perhaps Domi was thanking his childhood idol for the bout, or Brown was reminding him who the champ was. Regardless, these two would go on to carve their place on the Mount Rushmore of Enforcers. Bouts like this make their spots untouchable.
Dave Brown may be remembered as a Flyer, but Oilers fans will always see him as one of theirs. In a touching moment after their 1990 Stanley Cup win, Messier was handed the Cup from Commissioner John Ziegler and was about to pass the Cup on to his teammates when he saw Dave Brown, ice-level in a suit. Even though Brown didn’t dress for that deciding game against the Bruins, Messier Brown was crucial for their success. ‘Moose’ skated over and handed the trophy to Brown where a swarm of teammates celebrated with their beloved protector. Often deemed footnotes on Championship teams, this was a touching moment and made it clear that the Oilers knew he was integral in their Stanley Cup success. That year, Brown was deemed Dave Semenko’s replacement, which left him with some pretty big shoes to fill. Yet, true to form, he commanded the same respect from the opposition and his teammates as ‘Cementhead’ had for so many years prior. Brown was traded back to Philadelphia the following season and would end his career in San Jose where he had a comical moment with his replacement in Edmonton. Notably, Louie DeBrusk was getting feisty after the whistle and Brown skated up to him and said, “Louie, what do you think you’re doing?” DeBrusk reportedly simply responded, “You’re right Dave” and skated away. This was the respect Brown demanded with the gloves on and off. The Saskatchewan native may not have been the most talented or skilled player, but he knew how to maximize his talents on the ice. Brown’s ability to identify hockey intelligence and talent acted as the stepping-stone that elevated him to become the Philadelphia Flyers’ head of pro-scouting. I’m not sure if having a big left-hook is on his checklist for modern-day players, but as Victor Hugo said, they’re precious, so it couldn’t hurt.
Twitter:@Jonesintheszone
