Sutton Appears On The Jason Gregor Show

Verbero Owner and CEO Andy Sutton shared a few of his hockey stories as a guest on TSN 1260's The Jason Gregor Show

Andy Sutton has a story to tell.

Like many long-time National Hockey Leaguers, the former NHL defenseman compiled an abundance of anecdotes from his 15-season playing career.

Sutton joined Jason Gregor of TSN 1260 to talk about his tenure in the NHL, adapting as a player to stay relevant and how he transitioned into the equipment business with Verbero upon retirement.

“It was an interesting journey, for sure,” Sutton said. “Playing hockey in the NHL as long as I did, I started really paying attention to the equipment because of all the injuries. I was constantly adding a pad or removing a pad. Shin guards, in particular.”

With stick advances increasing the velocity of shots and skate technology making the game quicker, defenders like Sutton required more protection. Sutton laced up with the Atlanta Thrashers from 2001-07 and that was where he became the first NHL player to reinforce his skate with a guard.

“Every guy was starting to shoot it harder and harder with the introduction of new sticks,” Sutton said. “We were getting lit up back there.”

That need for more protection spurred Sutton’s interest in equipment development. The 676-game veteran began developing patents while still playing in the League.

“I started looking at patenting and developing intellectual property in the protective space. I started doing that about four years before I retired.”

Listen to the full interview here.