The Northwest Herald Monday, March 3, 2003 Curtis Brown (NHL Buffalo Sabres/Journeyman) Newspaper Article

by Scott DeNicola

Hockey, hockey and more hockey. From the time he was old enough to skate, those were the three most important things to Curtis Brown. Growing up on a farm in Senlac, a tiny town in Saskatchewan, Canada, Curtis lived and breathed the sport.

"I started playing hockey when I was 4 years old," Curtis says. That year his father built a backyard skating rink. By the age of 5, Curtis was playing on an organized team.

Although he remembers skating every day during the winter, Curtis couldn’t spend every moment practicing slap shots. Farm life meant plenty of chores.

"Our farm was an all-on zoo," Curtis recalls. "My father was a grain farmer, but we had animals galore: dogs, cats, pigs, rabbits, horses, chickens. And the chores were pretty tough. I’d have to fight off the chickens and gather the eggs, then feed the pigs. It was a lot of work!"

But when the chores were done, it was back to hockey. Because hockey is such a popular sport in Canada, Curtis remembers that all his life people would say, "Getting to the National Hockey League (NHL) is all life has to offer."

Curtis believed them. He did everything he could to reach his goal of playing in the NHL, practicing so much he probably could have laced his skates in his sleep. But during first grade, his dream was nearly sidelined when he began suffering asthma attacks.

"I’d wake up panicked in the middle of the night, wondering why I couldn’t breathe," Curtis says. "I’d run to my parents, and I remember being rushed to the hospital on a few occasions. They’d put me in an oxygen tent for a few days and send me home."

A doctor figured out Curtis’ asthma was triggered by allergies, and grain dust was one thing he was allergic to. "I didn’t have to clean the grain bins anymore," Curtis says. "That was nice."

Allergies weren’t the only cause of Curtis’ asthma attacks. They would also kick in due to exercise. That wasn’t too encouraging for a promising hockey player, but Curtis didn’t let it stop him from skating. "For some reason, the ice was where I felt best," he says. "God was really watching over me, and I would play hockey whether I had asthma or not."


Life’s Highest Goal

God had His eye on Curtis, but Curtis wasn’t paying attention to Him. Curtis attended church with his family every Sunday, but hockey was more important to him than getting to know God.

In fact, hockey was so important that he was willing to make huge sacrifices to pursue his dream of becoming a professional player. When he was 15, he signed a contract to play hockey in Moose Jaw, a larger town that offered a better chance to advance in the sport.

Moose Jaw was a four-hour drive from Senlac, so the hockey team arranged for Curtis to live with a local family. "From that point on, I basically only made it home at Christmas and the end of the season," Curtis says.

While playing in Moose Jaw, Curtis was noticed by professional teams. When he was 18, the Buffalo Sabres selected him in the second round. Before he started playing full time in the NHL, the Sabres assigned Curtis a spot with the Rochester Americans, a minor league team.

Joining that team changed Curtis’ life. "We ended up winning the championship," Curtis says, "but more importantly, I met John Blue." John was a goalie with Rochester and a dedicated Christian.

"God puts people in your life for certain reasons," Curtis says. "John and I became buddies, and I began asking him a lot of questions about Christianity."

John told Curtis that simply going to church and being a good person weren’t enough: Being a Christian would require a change of heart.

It took a while to sink in, but Curtis was beginning to see that John was right. Meanwhile, Curtis reached his childhood dream—he’d been called up to play in the NHL.

Although he had accomplished what he once considered life’s highest goal, he realized that Jesus offers much more. At the beginning of his second season with the Sabres, Curtis prayed to accept Jesus Christ as his Savior.

"There’s a place inside every person that only God can fill—nothing else fits that piece of the puzzle," Curtis says. "I let Jesus in, and that piece of the puzzle was filled."


A Winning Outlook

Since then, Curtis has become a highly rated player in the NHL. The 6-foot, 195-pound center has helped the Sabres win an Eastern Conference championship and has won the respect of his teammates. Even with the success he’s enjoyed in recent years, Curtis’ priorities have remained intact.

"My relationship with God comes before hockey," Curtis says. "If this career is taken away, nobody can take my faith away."

Because of his skills on the ice, plenty of hockey fans are willing to listen to what Curtis has to say—and Curtis takes advantage of the opportunity by talking about the importance of relying on God.

Last summer Curtis told an audience about a frustrating experience during a tight playoff game. As the game progressed, his hockey sticks kept breaking, one after another. Buffalo’s goalie called Curtis over and suggested he try a different type of stick—a tougher model. Curtis made the switch and ended up scoring the game-winning goal in overtime.

Curtis said that the Lord used the stick experience to remind him of how his life was before coming to Christ.

"I was using things that weren’t stable. They don’t do what is promised, and they’ll never fulfill," Curtis said. "When I switched to the new stick, it was like coming to Christ: It’s solid. You can lean on Him, and He won’t bend or break."

Curtis also urged his fans not to look to God merely when life tosses them a broken stick.

"Don’t treat Christianity as something you do once a week, or when you have time," he says. "Christianity needs to be your life."