Brown, born in Oshawa, Ontario, on Jan. 28, 1942, made his NHL debut with the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 1961-62 season, playing two games, and played four more with Toronto in 1963-64. His career blossomed after he was part of a five-player package sent to New York in a trade that brought forwards Andy Bathgate and Don McKenney to Toronto on Feb. 22, 1964.
The trade helped the Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup two months later but gave the Rangers' rebuilding efforts under general manager Emile Francis a boost. Brown became an NHL regular with the Rangers in 1964-65 and helped them return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 1966-67 after missing the postseason the previous four seasons. Brown's best offensive season was 1969-70, when he finished with 36 points (15 goals, 21 assists) and was plus-24 in 73 games.
But the Rangers traded Brown to the Detroit Red Wings on Feb. 2, 1971. He remained with the Red Wings through 1971-72, then was traded to the expansion New York Islanders on Oct. 4, 1972.
Brown played 48 games with the Islanders before being traded to the Atlanta Flames on Feb. 13, 1973. He stayed with the Flames through 1973-74, then played one season in the World Hockey Association before retiring. Brown had 185 points (44 goals, 141 points) in 681 NHL games and six assists in 22 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
