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Former Guelph billet family gets to share Dustin Brown's big night

When recently-retired NHL star Dustin Brown had his jersey retired by the Los Angeles Kings last weekend, his billet family from his days with the Guelph Storm were on hand to share the moment

The following article was written by Paul Osborne, whose family billeted Dustin Brown during his time with the Guelph Storm, who travelled to Los Angeles last weekend to take part in Brown's jersey retirement and statue unveiling.

Dustin Brown arrived in the Royal City in 2000 as a shy 15-year-old from Ithaca, N.Y., determined to make his mark in hockey with the Guelph Storm. This past weekend the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League retired his jersey and unveiled a statue in his honour at an emotional ceremony at the Crypto.com arena in Los Angeles.

Brown, who officially retired at the end of last season, thanked the City of Guelph for the important role it played in his development as a person and a hockey player. We were fortunate to welcome him into our home (as his billet family) while he played with the Storm. Since then, that quiet teenager has had four children of his own with his high school sweetheart Nicole, played 1,296 regular season games and 92 playoff games (all for the Kings) and led the NHL in hits while amassing 325 goals and 713 points.

He played 198 games in a Guelph Storm jersey from 2000 to 2003, scoring 113 goals.

“All the festivities have been a little overwhelming,” admitted Brown. “It has been an amazing journey from my time in Guelph through my career here.”

His statue will stand beside Los Angeles sports legends Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wayne Gretzky and Kobe Bryant.

“I felt a little uneasy about the statue but (Kings president) Luc Robitaille said to embrace it because I was able to do something no one in Kings history had ever accomplished - captain the franchise to its first (and second) Stanley Cup,” said Brown. “The best part is we did it as a team. Everyone played an important role and it is so special to be a part of something like that.”

When he arrived in Guelph he was just another young boy looking to fit in on the ice and at Lourdes high school. He ate like a horse, was great with our kids, and was an excellent student.

Now, completely content in retirement, he and Nicole are preparing to move back to upstate New York so they can raise their children surrounded by family.

His son Jake is now 15 and garnering interest from junior hockey teams and US colleges. It is hard for me to believe that 23 years ago it was Jake’s dad that showed up on our doorstep at 15, wide-eyed and hoping to live out his dream of playing in the NHL. Now his retired number hangs in the LA Kings rafters and his statue stands as tribute to a triumphant career.

“I must admit I haven’t missed the NHL life,” said Brown. “I was able to chase my dreams and now, like any parent, I can’t wait to watch my kids chase theirs.”