"He cares about everyone:" Oilers' Connor Brown still holds strong bond with Maple Leafs staffer
Oilers forward Connor Brown might be a few years removed from playing with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but he still holds a strong bond with a member of the team’s equipment staff.
During Saturday night’s ‘After Hours’Ā Ā segment, Brown joined Hockey Night in Canada’s Louie DeBrusk and Scott Oake where he revealed a long-time relationship with ‘Pistol’ Pete Flagler, an equipment staffer with the Leafs who has Down Syndrome.
According to a feature done by Sportsnet’s Christine Simpson in 2018, Brown first met Flagler in high school and the pair were able to work together when Brown was drafted into the Leafs organization.
During Brown’s time spent with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, Flagler was a member of the team’s equipment staff.
Despite being far from Toronto, Brown says the bond between the two is as strong as ever.
“Pete is such a great guy, he cares so deeply,” said Brown. “He’ll call me all the time and is like ‘how is this guy?’…he cares about everyone, he’ll ask you how 20 guys are… he’s such a special person and so uplifting. Friendships like that keep everything in perspective for you and I’m blessed to have him in my life.”
Brown has a long history with people who have Down Syndrome. During the interview, he opened up about his relationship with one of his great-uncles.
“Uncle Dougie had Down Syndrome and he lived with [my dad] growing up,” said Brown. “My dad was really close with Uncle Dougie and so that kind of was passed along to me, the love of the Down Syndrome community.”
“They are really great people. When you get to know them they are like nothing else, they are so funny and so uplifting,” Brown added.
Flagler has since been promoted to the Leafs where he works as an assistant to the equipment staff.
Oilers fans should have an easy time relating to Brown and Flagler’s relationship. In 2020, longtime equipment staffer Joey Moss passed away and inspired the team to adopt La Bamba,Ā a favourite of Moss, as their victory song. A statue of Moss was put up right outside the Edmonton dressing room.
Brown will be back on the ice with the Oilers this Tuesday as the team searches for its first win of the season in Nashville against the Predators.
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