Brown started his coaching career in 1986, serving three years as an assistant coach with the Michigan State Spartans before taking on the head coaching duties with the Michigan Tech Huskies for the 1990–91 and 1991–92 seasons.
Brown joined the Adirondack Red Wings of the AHL as head coach in 1992, guiding the team for four seasons before accepting an assistant coaching position in the NHL with the Chicago Blackhawks in 1996. Brown also served as an assistant coach with the Anaheim Ducks, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Vancouver Canucks, before joining the coaching staff of the Arizona Coyotes on July 10, 2013.[2] On June 7, 2017, Brown returned to the Canucks as an assistant coach.[3] He was on the Ducks' coaching staff in 2007 when the franchise won its only Stanley Cup championship.
At the end of the 2020–21 NHL season, Brown's contract was not extended by the Vancouver Canucks.[4] On July 7, 2021, he was rehired by the Ducks for a third stint with the franchise as an assistant coach, joining Dallas Eakins' staff.[5]
International
Brown was Team Canada's head coach when they won the silver medal at the 1988 Spengler Cup.[6]