It’s ironic that Dustin Brown is one of the hottest athletes in America given that his sport of choice is played on ice. The 28-year-old captain and his team, the LA Kings, won the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs and, at press time, had just made the NHL championship’s 2013 semi-finals. But while most see Brown as a tough leader, few realize that he’s actually a family man with a huge heart; he’s married to his high school sweetheart, Nicole, and is a devoted father of three. When he isn’t busy scoring, he’s reading nighttime stories to his sons, pampering his wife — who’s pregnant with the couple’s fourth child — or tirelessly devoting himself to community benefiting endeavors. In fact, he even received the NHL Foundation Award for his philanthropic contributions to organizations like the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and the Make-A-Wish Foundation through his charity, The Dustin and Nicole Brown Charitable Fund. Here, this South Bay resident reveals what he gets up to when he isn’t busy owning the boards.
8 AM My three boys usually wake up me up. I get breakfast ready for them – usually waffles with Nutella or French toast – and head to the rink.
9 AM I get to the rink at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo. I eat breakfast, read the newspaper and do my daily crossword puzzle.
10 AM Practice starts.
11 AM Practice is usually over around 11 AM or so. Once we’re off the ice, I talk to the media. After that, I get in the cold tub, ice whatever part of my body needs to be iced, get treatments from the training staff and take a shower.
Noon I leave the rink and meet my wife Nicole and our youngest son Cooper for lunch. We usually go to our favorite Mexican spot, La Sirena Grill in El Segundo.
1 PM Naptime. I typically nap from 1 – 3 PM.
3 PM I pick up my two older boys, Jake and Mason, from school.
3:30 PM Mario Time with the boys on the Wii. I usually win, of course.
4:30 PM If it’s a game day, I head usually pick up Kopi and Scuds [fellow Kings Anze Kopitar and Rob Scuderi] and head to STA PLES Center. Once there I have my pregame snack of popcorn and coffee and get ready for the game.
5:30 PM If it’s not a game day, this is dinnertime. If we go out, we get the car packed with all three boys. We usually go somewhere in the South Bay. A couple of my favorites are Vince’s, Rock’n Fish, or Mama D’s Italian Kitchen. The meal usually ends with dessert from Manhattan Beach Creamery or Pinkberry. I love the hazelnut with peanut butter crunch and Oreos. If we stay home, we’ll have some friends over. We will usually BBQ and make baked mac and cheese with some grilled veggies. For dessert, we’re big s’mores fans, so we’ll make those on the outdoor fireplace.
7 PM Time to get the kids in the tub. After their bath, we put their PJs on and read a couple of books. Anything with dinosaurs is a favorite. Then it’s their bedtime.
8 PM This is the fun part of the day: we get to pick up all of the toys in the living room.
9 PM My wife is pregnant, so we’re usually in bed early. We get in bed and catch up on TV shows. Right now we’re watching “Battlestar Galactica”, but we also watch “Newsroom” and “Homeland.”
