Vintage Minnesota Hockey - History

DUSTIN BROWN
2023 United States Hockey Hall of Fame Enshrinee

A two-time Stanley Cup champion and two-time Olympian, Dustin Brown (Ithaca, N.Y.) had a remarkable career that included 18 seasons playing in the National Hockey League.

Brown totaled 1,296 regular-season games in the NHL, the seventh most of any American ever, and played the entirety of his NHL career with the Los Angeles Kings.  He recorded 712 career regular-season points (325G, 387A) in the NHL and added 49 points (19G, 30A) in 92 playoff games.

Brown, who was drafted 13th overall by Los Angeles in 2003, served as captain of the Kings from 2008-16, leading the franchise to its first-ever Stanley Cup championship in 2012.  He tied for most playoff points and became the second American captain in NHL history to lead a team to the Stanley Cup.

Brown also played an integral role in helping the Kings to a second Stanley Cup victory in 2014.  During his tenure, Brown recorded five-straight 20-goal and 50-point seasons from 2007-12 and sits as the Kings all-time leader in games played.

The Ithaca, New York, native was a physical presence throughout his career and was the NHL’s all-time leader in hits at the time of his retirement.  Brown was a regular on the international stage for Team USA, highlighted by helping the U.S. earn a silver medal at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver where he served as an alternate captain.

Brown also played in the 2014 Olympics where the U.S. finished fourth. The forward also competed in four IIHF Men’s World Championships, including in 2004 when the U.S. earned bronze, and in two IIHF World Junior Championships.

Brown’s impact on the ice was as great as his impact off the ice. In 2011, he received the NHL Foundation Player Award for his charitable involvement in Los Angeles.  Following his second Stanley Cup victory in 2014, Brown was named the recipient of the Mark Messier Leadership Award, given annually to the NHL player who “exemplifies great leadership qualities to his team, on and off the ice during the regular season.”

Prior to his professional career, Brown played for Ithaca High School before joining the Guelph Storm of the OHL.  During the 2012-13 NHL lockout, Brown had a stint with the ZSC Lions in Switzerland’s National League.

Brown retired from the NHL following the 2021-22 season after finishing his 18th season with L.A. In February 2023, the Kings retired his number and unveiled a statue of him the lives outside Crypto.com Arena, the home of the Kings.

BRIAN BURKE
2023 United States Hockey Hall of Fame Enshrinee

An accomplished executive whose career has been highlighted by winning a Stanley Cup and Olympic silver medal, Brian Burke’s (Edina, Minn.) passion and contributions to the betterment of the game of hockey have touched every level of the sport.

Burke was born in Providence, Rhode Island, but grew up in Minnesota and attended Edina High School where he was a standout on the hockey team.  He returned to the East Coast and played college hockey for the Providence Friars, where he served as captain his senior season.  Burke then played one full season in the AHL with the Maine Mariners, helping the team to a Calder Cup championship before hanging up his skates and attending Harvard Law School, where he graduated in 1981.

He went on work as an NHL player agent before joining the Vancouver Canucks front office in 1987 for a five-year stint as director of hockey operations.  Burke briefly served as general manager of the Hartford Whalers before joining the NHL office as executive vice president and director of hockey operations, where he worked for six seasons.

Burke's next stop was as general manager for the Vancouver Canucks, notably acquiring Hockey Hall of Fame players Daniel and Henrik Sedin during his tenure.  He then moved on to serve as executive vice president of hockey operations and general manager of the Anaheim Ducks, where he oversaw the franchise winning its first ever Stanley Cup championship in 2007.

Burke was tabbed as president and general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2010 before being hired three years later by the Calgary Flames as president of hockey operations, a role he also held for parts of three seasons (2020-23) with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Today, he serves as the first-ever executive director of the Professional Women’s Hockey League Players Association.  While his work in the NHL has been at the forefront, Burke has supported U.S. efforts on the international stage and was a driver in USA Hockey establishing the U.S. Men’s National Team Advisory Group in 2007 to assist with the selection of players and staff for top international events.  Burke was an original member of the group and served with other U.S. general managers for nearly a decade.

As general manager of the 2010 U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team, Burke was the lead architect in building a team that earned the silver medal.  He also served as director of player personnel for the 2014 U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team and had management roles for U.S. Men’s National Teams for the 2009 and 2010 IIHF Men’s World Championships and 2016 World Cup of Hockey.  Burke has also worked in broadcasting during his career, including as an analyst for both Rogers and Sportsnet.

A strong supporter of LGBTQ+ rights, Burke established the You Can Play project that targets homophobia and promoting safety and inclusion in sports, in honor of his late son, Brendan.

JAMIE LANGENBRUNNER
2023 United States Hockey Hall of Fame Enshrinee

A two-time Stanley Cup champion and two-time Olympian, Jamie Langenbrunner (Cloquet, Minn.) had a decorated playing career that included 16 full seasons in the National Hockey League.

The versatile and dependable forward had stops with the Dallas Stars, New Jersey Devils and St. Louis Blues.  He played in 1,109 regular-season NHL games in total and recorded 663 points, including 243 goals and 420 assists.

Langenbrunner won his first Stanley Cup in 1999 as a member of the Dallas Stars, tallying 10 goals and seven assists in the playoffs that season. He claimed his second Cup during his first season with New Jersey in 2003 and led the NHL with 18 playoff points. Throughout his career, he competed in 146 career playoff games and recorded 87 points (34G, 53A).

The Minnesota native was selected 35th overall by the Dallas Stars in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft following his junior season at Cloquet High School and made his NHL debut with the Stars in 1995.  He became an NHL regular with Dallas in 1996-97 and recorded his first 20-goal season in 1997-98.

Langenbrunner was traded to New Jersey in 2002 and was named captain of the Devils midway through the 2007-08 season.  In 2009, he became the first player since Wayne Gretzky to score two goals in three consecutive games.  After nine seasons with New Jersey, he returned to Dallas for the 2010-11 season and scored his first goal back with his former team in his 1,000th career game.

Langenbrunner signed with the St. Louis Blues as a free agent in 2011 for the final two seasons of his career, retiring at the end of the 2012-13 campaign.

Langenbrunner played for Team USA at the 1998 Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, Japan, and in 2010 captained the U.S. to a silver medal at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, British Columbia.  Langenbrunner has also donned the red, white and blue at two IIHF World Junior Championships (1994, 1995) and at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey.

Today, Langenbrunner is the assistant general manager for the Boston Bruins where he has served in various capacities within hockey operations since 2015.

KATIE KING CROWLEY
2023 United States Hockey Hall of Fame Enshrinee

A three-time Olympic medalist, Katie King Crowley (Salem, N.H.) was one of the most dynamic scorers in the world during her nine-year (1997-2006) playing career with the U.S. Women’s National Team.

Today, she continues to be an important contributor to the growth and development of the game, including through her role as the head coach of the Boston College women’s ice hockey team.

King Crowley, with eight points (4G, 4A) in six games, helped the U.S. capture the very first gold medal awarded in women’s ice hockey at the 1998 Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, Japan.  She went on to also earn an Olympic silver medal in 2002 in Salt Lake City, Utah, and helped Team USA to a bronze medal at the 2006 Games in Torino, Italy.  King Crowley has 14 total Olympic goals, which put her tied for first in the U.S. record books, and her 23 Olympic points (14G, 9A) are fourth best.

King Crowley also donned the stars and stripes at six IIHF Women’s World Championships where she helped the U.S. to its first-ever gold medal in 2005 and silver-medal finishes in 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2004.

King Crowley competed in 223 career games with the U.S. Women’s National Team and ranks third all-time with 278 points (153G, 125A). The Salem, New Hampshire, native attended Brown University where she was a standout athlete in both hockey and softball.  She is a three-time Ivy League Player of the Year in hockey (1995, 1996, 1997) and was also named Eastern College Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 1997.  She is the Bears all-time leader in points with 206 (123G, 83A) in 100 career games.  King Crowley was also the Ivy League Player of the Year (1996) and Ivy League Pitcher of the Year (1997) in softball.

Prior to her collegiate career, King Crowley attended Salem High School where she was a three-sport varsity athlete, excelling in softball, basketball, and field hockey.

Following her retirement as a player in 2006, King Crowley joined the Boston College women’s ice hockey program as an assistant coach before assuming the head coaching position in 2007.  In 16 seasons behind the Eagles’ bench, King Crowley has guided BC to six NCAA Frozen Fours (2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017), 11 NCAA Tournaments (2009, 2011-2019, 2021), five Hockey East regular-season titles (2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18), three Hockey East tournament championships (2011, 2016, 2017) and six Beanpot crowns (2009, 2011, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018).

Additionally King Crowley served as an assistant coach for two U.S. Under-18 Women’s National Teams at the IIHF Under-18 Women’s World Championship, helping Team USA to gold in 2009 and silver in 2010.

BRIAN MURPHY
2023 United States Hockey Hall of Fame Enshrinee

Brian Murphy (Dover, N.H.) not only had one of the most accomplished on-ice officiating careers in the history of the NHL, but continues today to dedicate time helping teach and mentor the next generation of officials.

The Dover, New Hampshire, native is one of two Americans and just eight individuals all time to officiate over 2,000 NHL regular-season games.  During his 32-year career (1988-2020), Murphy officiated nine Stanley Cup Finals and 304 playoff games, as well as other high-profile NHL events like the 1999 NHL All-Star Game in Tampa, Florida, and the 2010 Winter Classic at Fenway Park in Boston.

Murphy also boasts an accomplished international officiating resume, including the 2004 and 2016 World Cup of Hockey, and 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Murphy served as the president of the NHL Officials Association from 2008-15 and was also on the organization’s executive board from 1994-99.

Murphy made his NHL debut in 1988 in a game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals and was promoted to a full-time NHL linesman for the 1990 season.  As an official during the NHL’s transition period to the two-referee system, Murphy is one of a few officials to work as both a referee and a linesman.

Having played hockey throughout high school, Murphy began officiating as a student while attending the University of New Hampshire in 1983 and worked his way up from youth and adult games to New Hampshire high school games.  Murphy made the switch to linesman when he began officiating Hockey East games during the 1986-87 NCAA season and went on to officiate the 1988 Beanpot, Hockey East and NCAA Frozen Four championship games.

Murphy, who for three decades has been an instructor at USA Hockey officiating development camps, worked the 1986 and 1987 U.S Olympic Festivals where he caught the eye of NHL officiating scouts.  Murphy currently serves as the supervisor of men's officials for Hockey East.