Jeff Brown Autograph Card

While a member of the Québec Nordiques, Jeff Brown was one of my favourite NHL defensemen. A powerplay specialist with a killer, hard shot, he was kind of his generation's Sheldon Souray. His plus/minus stats weren't all that great, though, and not all of them can be blamed on the lowly Nordiques: he even managed to be -6 while recording 25 goals for the St. Louis Blues in 1992-93, and -11 the following year, split between the Blues and the Vancouver Canucks while scoring 14. That season, though, he did go 6-9-15 for the Canucks on route to a Game 7 loss in the Stanley Cup Finals.

As a matter of fact, he was almost a point-per-game player in the post-season, with 20 goals, 45 assists and 65 points in 87 playoff games, including 12-in-12 in 1989-90, 12-in-13 in 1990-91, and 11-in-11 in 1992-93.

This is one of the rare cards depicting him in the Carolina Hurricanes' uniform, since he completed the 1996-97 season playing for the Hartford Whalers (who became the Canes during the summer), and was traded mid-season in 1997-98 to the Toronto Maple Leafs:

It's from Pinnacle Brands' 1997-98 Be A Player, a signed (in black sharpie) insert version of card #89. Released mid-season (Pinnacle had a habit of preferring to release products in calendar years rather than right before seasons started), it bears a mention on the back that he was sent to the Leafs on January 2nd, 1998.

He had to retire from the NHL due to concussions, but is still in the game as the head coach of the USHL's Indiana Ice, where I might send him a TTM request this year, after having won a championship coaching the NAHL's St. Louis Bandits.