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Shorty Brown honoured

Jessica Klinkenberg
Northern News Services
Published Friday, September 14, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - The Brown family was fighting tears as they stepped off the ice rink on Saturday, as the crowd cheered the memory of Clarence "Shorty" Brown.

NNSL Photo/Graphic

The family of Clarence Shorty Brown. From left to right, they are: son Rod Brown (ball cap), daughter Cindy McLean, wife Mickey Brown, and daughter Margo Grayston with the CEO and President of the Edmonton Oilers Patrick LaForge. At left is Oilers' general manager Kevin Lowe. Standing in back are Glenn Zelinski and Mark Scholz. - Jessica Klinkenberg/NNSL photos

It was three months ago that day when Shorty died. His family was given a jersey that will hang in the Shorty Brown arena at a later date.

"They had this ball rolling before dad died," one of his daughters, Cindy McLean, said.

"It was emotional," said Mickey Brown, Shorty's wife.

They all regretted that Shorty couldn't be there to receive the jersey, but knew exactly how he would have reacted.

"He'd be very honoured, but he would have been very humbled," said Margo Grayston, another of Shorty's daughters.

"We miss him a lot. It was three months today," Grayston added.

The Brown family all stood in the middle of the Olympic Arena on Saturday, and the people in the stands cheered loudly for Brown.

Shorty wasn't an Oilers fan himself, his son Rod Brown said.

"If anything he was a hockey fan," he said. He added that Shorty liked hockey and didn't have a specific team.

"It's people like Short Brown...that devote themselves and their time to hockey (that make it great)," said Patrick LaForge, president and CEO of the Edmonton Oilers.

"We have a lot of love and respect for people like him."

He said that he was amazed with the reaction the jersey dedication received.

"The crowd ... what a loud cheer for him."

The Brown family said that the jersey would be shown to family and friends before its placed in the Shorty Brown arena.