Former NHL defenceman Jeff Brown named head coach of OHL's Ottawa 67's

OTTAWA - Former NHL defenceman Jeff Brown was named head coach of the Ontario Hockey League's Ottawa 67's on Thursday.

The Ottawa native previously served as head coach and general manager of the Indiana Ice of the United States Hockey League.

"Jeff Brown has a tremendous understanding of the game and a great ability to communicate expectations and get results from young players," 67's general manager Pat Higgins said in a statement. "Those are key elements in the skill-set we've been looking for and beyond that, Jeff's experience in the NHL and knowledge of how to excel at that high level are important lessons that he can help our players learn."

Brown played as a defenceman over his 13-season NHL career. He had 585 points (154-431) and 498 penalty minutes in 747 career games with St. Louis, Vancouver, Quebec, Hartford, Carolina, Toronto and Washington.

"To join my hometown OHL team and provide my family with the opportunity to live in the great city of Ottawa is a dream come true," said Brown. "The 67's have a storied past and a bright future at the new TD Place at Lansdowne and I can hardly wait for the start of training camp."