On Defense with Jeff Brown
By Bob Cunningham
Nov 6, 2001, 20:26
 |
| ©BBS |
With the abundance of offensive talent on the Vancouver Canucks this season, you’d think that Jeff Brown might be tempted to sacrifice his defensive play in an effort to get the puck to Pavel Bure, Alexander Mogilny and Russ Courtnall.
Well, Brown will certainly be attempting to get the puck into the capable sticks of those three offensive juggernauts, but not at the expense of risky ventures that can result in easy goals for the opposition.
“I can’t change my style now,” says Brown. “It’s worked too well for me during my career.”
Blessed with good, but not outstanding, physical skills, the Canucks veteran has made a pretty decent NHL career for himself by utilizing his natural hockey instincts to their best advantage.
Neither big nor exceptionally fast, Brown has established himself as one of the league’s most fundamentally sound defensemen. His savvy for his craft nullifies any raw ability he may lack.
And, really, the guy’s pretty talented anyway—at both ends of the ice.
“My job is to do as good of a job defensively as everyone else and get involved in the offense when the opportunities are there,” he says.
And while offense is second on the list for Brown, it’s a close second.
“I’ve worked hard to be a solid defensive defenseman and I can also chip in with some points,” he notes. “I enjoy being part of the offense. The way I see it is that I’m not really helping my team if I’m not getting points.”
Brown was Vancouver’s top scorer among defensemen in the short 1995 season, notching 31 points (including 23 assists) in 33 games of an injury-abbreviated campaign.
But he doesn’t get into the offensive flow by taking chances. Instead, he creates his opportunities through his knowledge of situations before they completely develop. His on-ice anticipation allows him a much better chance of being in the proper position to capitalize on opportunities. The results are usually favorable, with Brown either snuffing out an opposing scoring chance or creating a turnover that starts the puck moving the other way.
“I think I do well anticipating the plays, and that’s really important,” he says. “I’m not a big bruiser. I’m not going to hammer guys into the boards. For me, it’s more (a matter) of positioning. I’m kind of a read-and-react type of defenseman, you could say.
“If I see a play developing, I try to anticipate what’s next. If that can end up with me intercepting a pass and getting us going the other way, then I’ve done my job.”
Teamwork is critical
Brown admits he relies heavily on his teammates to fulfill their obligations so that he can successfully accomplish his.
“You rely a lot on your partner back there,” Brown says of the other defenseman on the ice. “Confidence in your teammates; knowing your goalie will kick out the shot, and where it will likely end up—that’s all important.”
Brown’s co-existence with teammates also hinders on anticipation.
“Instincts are huge. I’m very lucky to be blessed with hockey sense,” he admits. “Reading your partner. Knowing the time of the game. Knowledge of the clock is also important. Nothing is worse than allowing a goal late in the period and going into intermission with that fresh on your mind.”
Brown notes that stopping the opposing offense is always the priority, “no matter who you are or how many points you score.” But he acknowledges that he’s looking forward to the challenge of helping make sure that Bure, Mogilny and company get an ample number of scoring chances.
“It will be fun getting a rush started with a long lead pass when the opportunity comes,” he says. “And it’ll be my job as well as our other defensemen to do that. When we get possession, those guys are going to want the puck. We have to get it to them.”
In terms of his own style of play, Brown contrasts it to the stay-at-home enforcers who spend most of their time clogging the middle, even when the puck is being contested for in a corner, or otherwise away from the goal.
“Some guys have had pretty good careers chopping and sticking,” says Brown, referring to defensemen that are responsible for maintaining control of the area surrounding the crease. “You learn as a kid to clear your man from the front of the net. But sometimes, it makes no sense to me to take a stupid penalty if the guy (being cleared) isn’t a threat.
“I think when you get in those situations and you turn your back on the play to worry about the man with you, you become a liability.”
Brown not only avoids stupid penalties, he’s also adept at avoiding penalties altogether. In 1995, he spent just 16 minutes in the penalty box.
He is certainly an asset on the Vancouver blueline. He’s not afraid to assert that he’s a good NHL player—but he’s quick to point out why.
“I’ve worked very hard on every aspect of my game throughout my career,” says Brown, who is in his 11th season. “If I do my job, and my teammates do theirs, we’re usually successful.
“And that’s all that matters.”
— Bob Cunningham
This first appeared in the 08/1995 issue of Hockey Player Magazine®
© Copyright 1991-2001 Hockey Player® and Hockey Player Magazine®
You can use the boards when you need to protect the puck, keep your knees bent and have some weight on your stick so you are not easily knocked off the puck. Remember your legs are the most powerful muscles, so keep them moving during the puck battles. You can also use your hands for leverage and support
