The Seattle Kraken announced Monday on Twitter that former Tampa Bay Lightning forward, J.T. Brown will join the team as an analyst for their inaugural season.
Seattle, @JohnForslund is back again to make a very exciting announcement. 😉
Trust us, this is another call you won’t want to miss → https://t.co/hdfgIcVs31 pic.twitter.com/2qFVSaH5rl
— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) June 21, 2021
J.T. Brown Joining Seattle Kraken in the Broadcast Booth
J.T. Brown is hanging up his skates and jumping on the mic. He will be seen and heard as a colour analyst on Seattle Kraken telecasts for the team’s inaugural season in 2021-22.
The Minnesota native says he is excited for the new chapter in his life.
“Moving on from playing is a little bit of everything [in terms of emotion]. You think you will play until your legs fall off. But I had started thinking long-term -what was my next play?” Brown said in an interview with the NHL.
Brown says he was drawn in by the idea of working with longtime NHL broadcaster, John Forslund. He also says he hopes to continue his work in creating more opportunities for young hockey players.
J.T. Brown Retires from Pro Hockey
With the move to the broadcast booth, J.T. Brown retires as a professional hockey player. Brown played two seasons at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, winning an NCAA Championship in 2011. He was named the Frozen Four’s Most Outstanding Player during the championship run.
From there, Brown signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning as an undrafted free agent. Splitting time between the NHL and AHL his first two seasons, the American-born winger became a regular player for Tampa in 2014. He played in 24 playoff games during the Lightning’s Stanley Cup Final run in 2015.
Brown was traded to the Anaheim Ducks in 2018 before signing with the Minnesota Wild the following year. He finished his professional career in Sweden for IF Bjorkloven.
Overall, in 365 NHL games, Brown scored 23 goals and 49 assists.
Standing Up for Social Justice
In addition to a respectable playing career, Brown also shone as a leader in social justice. Before an October 2017 game with the Lightning, Brown raised a fist during the American national anthem to protest police brutality. He followed up by engaging in conversation with leaders in Tampa Bay policing.
I’ve talked to several players in recent days who would like the NHL to say it should have done more to support JT Brown 3 years ago.
Before a Tampa Bay Lightning home game in Oct 2017, @JTBrown23 raised his fist on the bench to protest police violence & systemic racism. pic.twitter.com/v66C2MYali— Rick Westhead (@rwesthead) June 16, 2020
As a result of this, in 2020, Brown was named as a member of the NHL’s Fan Inclusion Committee to help develop solutions that help underrepresented groups access the game and business of hockey.
