ECHL Kalamazoo Wings

BROWN CALLED UP TO AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE

March 23, 2002 - ECHL (ECHL)
Kalamazoo Wings News Release


WINGS CAPTAIN TO BE IN UNIFORM TONIGHT FOR CLEVELAND BARONS

KALAMAZOO - The Kalamazoo Wings announced today that team captain Jim Brown has been called up to the Cleveland Barons of the American Hockey League, the top affiliate of the NHL's San Jose Sharks. Brown will be in uniform for the Barons tonight when they visit the Milwaukee Admirals at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee.

Brown, 29, is currently tied for the Wings' overall scoring lead with 58 points (23G, 35A) in 65 games. His 35 assists is a team high, as are his three shorthanded goals. Brown is also second on the club in power play goals with seven on the season.

Brown holds or shares game-highs for the Wings in several categories. On December 8, Brown had a hat trick, two assists, and was plus-4 in a game against Port Huron. The five points and +4 rating are season highs, and Brown is one of just three Wings this year to register a hat trick in a game. In addition, Brown's nine-game scoring streak from October 20 to November 10, 2001 is the second longest for a Wings player this season. He had 13 points (4G, 9A) during that span.

This is Brown's second summons to the AHL in his nine-year professional career. He spent seven games with the Springfield Falcons during the 1998-99 season, picking up two goals and six penalty minutes in seven games. Brown is the first Kalamazoo player to be called up to the AHL this season.

Cleveland is in fourth place in the Central Division of the AHL's Western Conference with a record of 26-36-6 for 62 points on the season. The AHL returned to Cleveland this year following a 30-year absence from the city when San Jose relocated their AHL franchise to Cleveland from Louisville, KY. Cleveland was a charter member of the American Hockey League in 1936-37 as the Cleveland Falcons. The franchise changed its name to the Barons after its first season, and went on to win a record nine Calder Cup Championships. The franchise left the league after the 1971-72 season to make way for the WHA's Cleveland Crusaders, which were supplanted by the NHL Cleveland Barons in 1976. That team lasted just two seasons before being merged with the Minnesota North Stars, and Cleveland was without hockey until the Lumberjacks moved there from Muskegon in 1992.

The Kalamazoo Wings return to action tonight against the Fort Wayne Komets at Wings Stadium before traveling to Moline, IL to visit the Quad City Mallards tomorrow night. It's Scout Night at Wings Stadium tonight, and Todd Currier will have his Kalamazoo Wings cars from the Kalamazoo Speedway on the ice during the first intermission. Tickets for tonight's game against the Komets can be purchased at the Wings Stadium box office or by phone at 616-345-5101.

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ECHL Stories from March 23, 2002


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