Born April 27, 1979 in North Vancouver, BC, Mike got the chance to play in his hometown when he was sent to the Canucks with Ed Jovanovski, Dave Gagner, Kevin Weekes and a first round draft choice by the Florida Panthers, who received Pavel Bure, Bret Hedican, Brad Ference and a third round pick in return. Brown started his junior hockey career with the Red Deer Rebels in the Western Hockey League. After a season with 32 points and 243 penalty minutes in 1996-97, Mike Brown was a first round choice of the Florida Panthers. He finished his junior career with two strong seasons with the Kamloops Blazers, collecting 305 minutes in penalties in 1997-98 and leading the WHL with 285 pims in 1998-99. After his trade from Florida to Vancouver, Mike played a single game as a Canuck in 2000-2001, spending the rest of the season with Kansas City of the IHL. During 2001-2002, Brown split the season between Vancouver and the AHL's Manitoba Moose. A move to Anaheim gave Mike a fresh start, and he spent the season between the Mighty Ducks and their AHL affiliate in Cincinnati.