Lexi LaFleur Brown’s husband is J.T. Brown, a former NHL forward who spent five seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning and now works as a hockey broadcaster. The two met on Twitter in 2013, married on February 6, 2015, and have built a family that’s moved across North America more times than most people change jobs. For anyone searching “lexi lafleur brown husband,” the quick answer is J.T. Brown, but the full story is considerably more interesting.
How a Twitter Exchange Became a Marriage
J.T. Brown was grinding through the AHL with the Syracuse Crunch when he started talking to Lexi LaFleur online. She was across town, enrolled at Syracuse University in a master’s program for public relations management. He sent the first message. They traded back and forth for weeks before either suggested meeting in person.
“When we met the first time, I didn’t know what would happen,” J.T. told Iowa Wild reporters in a 2020 profile. “I discovered she was the same person she was online and that meant a lot to me.”
Lexi had the same reaction. “It was really comfortable,” she said. “We both knew right away that we really clicked and we really liked each other.”
Both came from biracial families, which meant their families had no hesitation. “Honestly, they just loved him because he was a hockey player,” Lexi said. Within a year of their first meeting, J.T. had proposed. They set the wedding date eight days before Valentine’s Day on purpose.
“We don’t usually buy gifts for Valentine’s Day,” J.T. said in 2020, still clearly pleased with himself. “We’ve got our anniversary and that’s usually enough.”
Who Is J.T. Brown? Career, Broadcasting, and What He Does Now
Jonathan Thomas Brown was born in 1990 and grew up in Minnesota. He played college hockey at the University of Minnesota Duluth before turning professional and working his way through the AHL system. Tampa Bay signed him, and he eventually stuck in the NHL, playing for the Lightning from 2013 to 2018. He’s remembered particularly for a protest gesture during the 2017-18 season, when he raised his fist during the national anthem to support racial justice, becoming one of the first NHL players to do so openly.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Jonathan Thomas Brown |
| Born | 1990, Burnsville, Minnesota |
| NHL team | Tampa Bay Lightning (2013-2018) |
| AHL teams | Syracuse Crunch, Iowa Wild, others |
| Current role | Hockey broadcaster, Seattle Kraken coverage |
| Married | February 6, 2015 |
After his playing career wound down, J.T. moved into broadcasting, eventually landing a role covering the Seattle Kraken. The transition kept hockey in the household but shifted the lifestyle from playing schedules to broadcast schedules. He’s described the role as a better fit for where his family was headed.
Few athletes find a second career that actually suits them. J.T. is one of the ones who seems to have genuinely landed in the right place. According to his Wikipedia entry, Brown played 321 regular-season games in the NHL across his professional career.
Who Is Lexi LaFleur Brown? More Than a Hockey Wife
Lexi LaFleur was born in northern Ontario, Canada, and has Métis heritage on her father’s side. She came to Syracuse for graduate school, earned her master’s in public relations, and then kept going. By the time J.T. was wrapping up his playing career with the Iowa Wild around 2020, Lexi had completed a doctorate in education.
She’s been vocal on social media for years, building a following by covering the particular chaos of being married to a professional hockey player: the constant moves, the playoff uncertainty, the logistical gymnastics of running a household with young children while your partner’s schedule revolves entirely around a game schedule. Her candor and humor connected. Her husband, by his own admission, was often the target of her sharpest observations.
“She definitely is good at what she does on social media,” J.T. said in 2020. “The majority of them are making fun of me, and that’s okay.”
Lexi has also been outspoken about racial justice and LGBTQ+ representation, causes she’s championed independently of her husband’s more prominent public platform. Her Ph.D. was originally tied to plans to eventually enter academia once the children were older, but her career took a different turn.
Their Family Life: Two Kids, Constant Moves, and Who Really Runs Things
J.T. and Lexi have two children. Their daughter, Lily Willow Brown, was born in the summer of 2017, during J.T.’s time with the Lightning. Their son, Booker, followed. The family spent years living in Tampa Bay before moving when J.T. signed with the Iowa Wild, dragging the household to Iowa for a stint that came with all the usual AHL uncertainty.
“You can’t do it without your wife,” Iowa Wild head coach Tim Army said of player partnerships in the same 2020 profile. Hockey marriages that survive the demands of the sport share certain patterns, as seen with Brad Treliving’s wife Julie, another hockey family built around constant relocation and a shared commitment to the game.
“Without a good wife, you just can’t survive, because she is the one you rely on every day to troubleshoot everything and make the family life work for everyone.”
As for who makes decisions in the Brown household, J.T. has no illusions. “I like to say and pretend that I am [in charge], but that’s not the real answer,” he said. “What she says goes for the majority of pretty much everything.”
The one constant ambition both shared from early on: wherever they eventually settle permanently, it will not be Minnesota.
One of the more unexpected chapters of the Lexi LaFleur Brown story arrived after J.T. retired from playing. According to reporting from late 2025, Lexi secured a two-book deal for hockey romance novels. The pivot made sense in retrospect: she had spent years writing about hockey life from the inside, had an existing audience, and clearly understood the genre’s audience in a way most authors don’t.
As of early 2026, both books were in development. Lexi has talked about the project on social media, where her tone about the writing process reads much like her tone about everything else: honest, self-deprecating, and occasionally at her husband’s expense.
Getting a book deal in a crowded romance market is harder than it sounds. Doing it as a first-time author with no prior fiction credits to your name is harder still. The contract suggests her platform and subject matter credibility were strong enough to make the pitch work.
Quick Timeline: JT Brown and Lexi LaFleur Brown’s Relationship
Every key milestone in the relationship of Lexi LaFleur Brown and her husband J.T. Brown, from the 2013 Twitter introduction to the 2025 book deal, is captured below.
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2013 | Met on Twitter while both in Syracuse |
| 2014 | J.T. called up to Tampa Bay Lightning; relationship continued long-distance |
| February 6, 2015 | Married in a ceremony timed to avoid the Valentine’s Day gift obligation |
| Summer 2017 | First child, Lily Willow Brown, born |
| 2017-18 season | J.T. raises fist during national anthem in racial justice protest |
| ~2019-20 | J.T. moves to Iowa Wild (AHL); Lexi earns her Ph.D. in education |
| Post-2022 | J.T. transitions to hockey broadcasting with the Seattle Kraken |
| Late 2025 | Lexi secures two-book deal for hockey romance novels |
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Lexi LaFleur Brown’s husband?
Lexi LaFleur Brown husband is J.T. Brown (Jonathan Thomas Brown), a former NHL player who spent five seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He retired from playing and now works as a hockey broadcaster, most recently covering the Seattle Kraken.
How did Lexi LaFleur and J.T. Brown meet?
They met on Twitter in 2013. J.T. was playing for the Syracuse Crunch in the AHL, and Lexi was studying for a master’s degree in public relations at Syracuse University. The two exchanged messages online for several weeks before meeting in person and quickly realized they were compatible.
When did Lexi LaFleur and J.T. Brown get married?
They married on February 6, 2015, deliberately choosing a date just over a week before Valentine’s Day. J.T. has joked that the proximity to Valentine’s Day means they celebrate their anniversary instead of exchanging Valentine’s gifts.
How many children do Lexi LaFleur and J.T. Brown have?
They have two children: a daughter named Lily Willow Brown, born in the summer of 2017, and a son named Booker. The family relocated multiple times during J.T.’s playing career, living in Tampa Bay and Iowa before eventually settling as his career shifted to broadcasting.
What does Lexi LaFleur Brown do for work?
Lexi LaFleur Brown holds a Ph.D. in education and has been active on social media documenting hockey spouse life. In late 2025, she secured a two-book deal for hockey romance novels, adding published author to her credentials.
What NHL team did J.T. Brown play for?
J.T. Brown spent his main NHL career with the Tampa Bay Lightning, playing for the organization from 2013 to 2018. He also played stints in the AHL with the Syracuse Crunch, Iowa Wild, and other minor league affiliates before transitioning to broadcasting.
Conclusion
The short answer to who is lexi lafleur brown husband is J.T. Brown, former NHL player. The longer answer is that J.T. and Lexi met on Twitter a decade ago, built a marriage across several cities and multiple hockey seasons, raised two kids while navigating the specific chaos of professional sports life, and are now both building second acts on their own terms. He broadcasts games. She writes them, more or less, in novel form.
It’s the kind of story that works precisely because neither of them tried to make it look easier than it was.
