LARRY BROWN
Date of Birth: 1947-04-14Date of Induction: 2026-10-03
Larry Brown was a textbook stay-at-home defenceman who spent a decade in the NHL. Not known for his offensive contributions, he was a reliable depth blue liner game in and game out.
The native of Brandon, Manitoba played four years of junior with the hometown Wheat Kings and was the territorial property of the New York Rangers. After spending one year each in the Eastern and Central Leagues, and 15 games with the Rangers in 1969/70, Brown was sent to the Detroit Red Wings for forward Peter Stemkowski in October 1970. Despite his solid play for the Wings he was re-acquired by the Rangers when injuries hit midway through the season.
The Philadelphia Flyers would pick up Brown at the Intra-League Draft in June 1971 to add depth to their defensive crew. He played 12 games but battled assorted injuries before he was claimed on waivers by the L.A. Kings in January 1972.
He was one of the cleanest rearguards of the modern era, as part of the L.A. Kings' popular No-Name Defense during the NHL’s roughhouse 1970s.
Brown remained in Los Angeles for six years. He was a solid contributor to the club's overall improvement and its impressive 105-point season in 1974/75.
Brown’s run in the NHL came to an end after the 1977/78 season and 455 regular season games and 35 playoff games. He’d play with LA’s top farm team, the AHL Springfield Indians for the 1978/79 season, before being claimed in the 1979 NHL expansion draft by the Edmonton Oilers, finishing his pro career with the CHL Houston Apollos.