Hurricanes vs. Golden Knights + The Curry Brand

The Stanley Cup Final is set, and on Episode 18 of The Mask & The Mic, Guy Hebert and Kent French break down the matchup between the Carolina Hurricanes and Vegas Golden Knights.

The guys recap how both teams advanced through the Conference Finals and discuss the strengths that have each club just four wins away from hoisting the Stanley Cup. As expected, the conversation quickly turns to the most important position on the ice — goaltending. Guy and Kent take a deep dive into the matchup between Carolina's Frederik Andersen and Vegas' Carter Hart and explain why the battle between the pipes could ultimately decide the series.

The discussion also shines a spotlight on Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour. Having played alongside Rod during his time with the St. Louis Blues, Guy shares firsthand stories about Brind'Amour's legendary work ethic, leadership, and competitiveness, and how those same traits have helped make him one of the NHL's premier coaches.

Then the conversation pivots from the rink to the business of sports. NBA superstar Stephen Curry recently signed a groundbreaking 10-year agreement worth more than $400 million with Chinese sportswear company Li-Ning. The deal expands the Curry Brand into basketball products, lifestyle apparel, athlete endorsements, and even golf equipment. Guy and Kent discuss the evolving world of athlete endorsements, the business opportunities available to today's stars, and share a few stories about their own experiences with sponsorships and endorsement deals.

From Stanley Cup predictions and elite goaltending to sports business and branding, Episode 18 covers the biggest stories in sports from every angle.

Subscribe to TheMaskTheMic YouTube Channel

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Hi, this is GA Bear, former NHL gold tender, and actually groaning. If you can watch, I'm growing my playoff beard right now. But I am the mask in the mask in the mic. Yeah, get your microf get your microscope out. You know what? It's a little it's a little too salt and peppery.

SPEAKER_02 0:18

It is a little salt and peppery. Yes. He is the mask, and I am the mic. I'm Ken French, uh longtime broadcaster. So together we make the mask for the mic. Uh, and we certainly have a lot to talk about. He mentioned playoff beard. I think Evo was teasing something.

SPEAKER_01 0:31

Yeah, without a doubt. Best time of the year, Stanley Cup finals are about to start tonight when we're airing this tomorrow. So uh just a look behind the I guess, I don't know, curtain. See what's going on, but we'll know something before this airs. And we're gonna talk endorsement deals.

unknown 0:48

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 0:50

Hopefully, some of the ones we got, some of the ones we didn't get, and uh that and much more. So uh that's all happening on a podcast we like to call The Mask of the Mic. Ghibbo, as always, and good for us. Hello everyone, and welcome to another edition of The Mask of the Mic. Kit French, Key Ebert, back with you for another uplifting, insightful conversation about things, about things that we think are important, right, Gibo?

SPEAKER_01 1:20

It's uh all-encompassing. We talk about nonsense, we talk about the world of sports, uh, we talk about uh apparently this is a big graduation week, but uh, I know you'll get into that a little bit later.

SPEAKER_02 1:33

Right, it is, and you know, uh truth be told, um, we are still a little new at the podcasting thing, and this is round three as we continue to do a little pull back the curtain a little bit. We'll have a little uh technical technical issues, but here we go again, and we've had this we've we've had an intro three different times, and uh, I think that was the best one. I think that was actually the best intro. So, you know what? Third time's a charm. Yes, yeah, thermostat guy always is, yes. We have all kinds of stuff going on today. So let's dive into it. Uh, things that happened over the weekend. I know that uh you and I are both chatting and a little bit of a blur. Um, but it is, as you mentioned, graduation week, weekend, the pre-graduation weekend. We got the ceremonies going on this week. Uh my little one is graduating, if you would call it that, from third. Um, but we have we've have some wonderful young ladies on our street. There's six of them within about four houses of us. And um you're popped up. What are you doing again? Hey, I I I just got kicked off. So now you're on again. Now I'm recording you twice. What is happening with you? Oh my gosh. It is still recording. All right, I have you recording. Oh boy. Um, yeah. So, anyways, we have uh six young ladies, five have graduated um high school or in college, and have now graduated college. A few have, um, but one last one now is graduating high school. So we had a graduation party over the weekend. Um, kind of Everly's big sister is growing up here on the block and a graduation um ceremony coming up uh on Thursday. We're recording this on a Tuesday morning. So, yeah, so good stuff going on over here, a lot of busyness, and I know that you had to deal with that through your life. And and your wife still is in the uh education system, so she gets a chance to get out of school as well. So that's a good thing.

SPEAKER_01 3:30

Yeah, yeah. I I know she's looking forward to it. She loves what she does, and she's in uh uh I don't know how much I should divulge because you never know. But yeah, she is looking forward to uh summer. Forward to summer.

SPEAKER_02 3:45

Forward to summer. She's looking forward to summer, which is great. Um, so speaking of that, uh summer is a time, obviously, to play golf, although you can play golf year-round. Um, but Ghee, but you had a chance to to watch a little golf over the weekend. I know and you have become quite the golf analyst, by the way.

SPEAKER_01 4:00

You uh this might be another you can't play that well anymore. You become an analyst.

SPEAKER_02 4:05

This might be another uh feather in your cap, another uh another skill set you can add to the old resume. Maybe we can see Ghee wearing the headphones like that, walking down the fairway, interviewing golfers. That might be something that we might see you doing.

SPEAKER_01 4:18

Yeah, I want to grow up and be Smiley Kaufman. We can get Smiley Kaufman on this show. Make a note. Like he went from player to um really a great broadcaster and really enjoy his insight. And a lot of times they set up uh a little, I guess a little booth type of area by a certain hole, and players will come by and sit down with him after they finish their round. And it's great insight into you know what's going on that particular day, the conditions of uh the course, the conditions of you know, wind, uh how the course is playing, you know, soft, firm, uh pin positions. Uh it's really insightful. I really enjoy what he does. So um that's a great idea, maybe get uh you know another analyst on our show. But yeah, I was able to, I know you asked me what I did this weekend, and I totally blacked out. I'm like, I I don't remember. I didn't black out for the weekend. I don't want you to think that, but I I I'm like, God, what happened this weekend? And uh, but I did. I was treated to some great golf on Sunday. Uh I always like to see the final round, and it's a log jam of players at the Colonial trying to bring home a victory. And shockingly, I I know we talked before getting on, or in one of the previous ones that cut out was that uh no Dallas resonance really playing in this thing. There, there's a couple guys that that went to SMU and whatnot, they're not household names, but Jordan Spith did not play, and did uh neither did Scotty Scheffler. So two huge names in the Texas golf world uh didn't play.

SPEAKER_02 5:52

Give some others a chance. Give some other guys a chance.

SPEAKER_01 5:54

And it does. And uh there's there's a player named Eric Cole who uh was at the top of the leaderboard for a good portion of the uh four days, and he was looking to get his first PGA tour victory. I I I still am trying to figure out, I have to Google it if he won the Barracuda uh or not. But um, anyways, he was trying to get it. He was trying to shut the door, and um it's just one of those things, Frenchie golf is just such a difficult sport to be able to win. And we watched uh as I sat on the couch, I watched Russell Henley, who who's a very good PGA tour player, uh multiple winner on the PGA tour, and he's just rattled off birdies on the last four holes of the tournament and uh forced a sudden death playoff on number 18. And like I hope to do or try to emulate is a drive down the middle, stuff it to about six feet, and then hit the uh walk-off birdie and steal the tournament from Eric Cole. So uh, you know, it was great drama. Uh that's what every sport wants to provide is drama, and it was certainly uh really a cool way to watch that. Heartbreaking for Eric Cole. Played as well as he could have over the course of four days, and still somehow that's just not enough. So it it's a cruel game, much like most sports, but uh any avid golfer who plays on you know, whatever day of the week you can get out there, certainly you know when you've got to make that crucial swing or the crucial uh putt to to win something or take five bucks off your buddies. Certainly, uh you know how difficult it really is. I love how you said walk-off birdie.

SPEAKER_02 7:35

I don't think I've ever heard that term before, but it completely makes sense. You got the walk-off homer, you got the OT winner uh goal in hockey, whatever it may be. I mean, this is that's awesome. I mean, yeah, the walk-off birdie, you're done. Just drop the club and walk off the green. Yeah, it's just why not? That's awesome. I love that. Um, so we had a little bit of golf, but uh, of course, in this podcast, you might uh when you tune in, you might want to hear a little hockey talk for for a very good reason. As my broadcast partner here was a member of the National Hockey League for many years, including the original Mighty Duck of Anaheim. And uh, this is the time for hockey fans right now is the Stanley Cup Finals are upon us, Gibo. And it is the Carolina Hurricanes taking on the Vegas Golden Knights. Um, I saw the Canes being there. Uh the Golden Knights, though, not only taking down the Aves, the president's trophy winning Avalanche, but doing it in the way they did it, sweeping them, not giving them a chance. The Aves, I think, average under two goals per game. I mean, they suffocated that team. And here we are, Vegas and Carolina in the finals. Are you excited? Or we're should I say of course you're excited. It's the finals, of course. What what excites you about this matchup?

SPEAKER_01 8:52

Well, first, let's let's roll back the uh the clock here just a minute, with you know, Carolina, yes, expected to come out of the East. You know, Florida had their run. They had a number of injuries throughout the course of the season. Uh Barkov injured during training camp, was out for the whole season. Uh, and it's tough to get back to the Stanley Cup for the fourth straight year, right? They they lost in the first one and then won the next two. So they had literally run out of gas. Uh, but Carolina's been knocking on the door. Uh great head coach, Rod Brindemore, uh, really solid team, top to bottom. And uh they've got they've got everything that they need right now to win the Stanley Cup. Freddie Anderson, as we've mentioned before, is uh playing arguably the best uh as goaltender throughout the course of the playoffs. Uh, there's been some other really great performances. Carter Hart, it's gonna be a great matchup between goaltenders. But the Vegas Golden Knights, the villains, apparently they played possum all year long. Uh, that's the rumor out of Vegas, is that they did just enough to kind of stay in the mix and without, I guess, overperforming, and they wanted to gel at the right time. And, you know, it's important to be able to do that, right? Uh, it's very non-traditional. Fire a coach with uh what's eight or nine games left in the season, and all of a sudden things changed uh on a dime. So it it's the matchup is great because I think both teams are very good defensively. I think Vegas has continued to get better uh as the end of the season progressed and into the playoffs from one one round to the next. Um they're playing their best hockey. Uh their best players are playing their best hockey, and everybody is contributing. You know, Mitch Marner was huge in the series against the Ducks, and then all of a sudden you got a lot of depth scoring in the round against Colorado, and of course the goaltending and the team defense was on display. So I a lot of people think it's offense Vegas versus the defensive nature of Carolina. I don't necessarily argue with that, but I honestly think that the defensive scheme of Vegas has really come to light, and and I think that they are playing as well defensively as maybe they've ever played as a franchise. And that that says a lot, obviously, winning the Stanley Cup a few years ago. But so, Franchie, my question to you is as you look at the superstars on both sides of the equation, you know, is is it gonna boil down to the superstars? Is it gonna be, you know, Sebastian Aho and Mitch Marner or Mark Stone or Svechnikov or like who is gonna be the person, the player that really changes the dynamic of this series? And and I expect it to be, I'll say after you know, Vegas just swept Colorado, I expect it to be a long series because I think that yes, Carolina can shut down the offense. So I think it's gonna be a lot of low-scoring games, tight checking, and I kind of hope I'm wrong because everybody likes to see goals except for goalies, and it you want to see that excitement, but I I I do. I think it's gonna be a slug fest, I think it's gonna be incredibly physical. And with game one starting tonight, uh, we will know, I think, at least what direction this series is gonna head in.

SPEAKER_02 12:19

Yeah, no, I I agree with you, but no, I don't think it's gonna be I don't think if at least for Carolina, I think it's gonna be Freddie Anderson and the defense. I think they're gonna lean on what has got him there. And when you talk about Aho and the top line, they they haven't really been the story when it comes to the postseason. I mean, Taylor Hall, who's a depth scorer for that team, he's got he leads the way with five goals and 11 assists and 13 games. So he has been kind of the standout offensive player, but then the defense and Freddy have certainly been the story there. When you talk about uh Vegas, I think more of their stars have been prevalent. Eichel and Mitch Marner, as you mentioned, um, they have been a little more prevalent when it comes to the scoring and the impact. Um, so yeah, I think, and I've always said this, even when we're talking about the Ducks in the postseason, that first round against Edmonton, all the high scoring. It it does boil down to defense and goaltending will win championships, and then there is that big goal that is going to sway you know a game one way or the other. So um yeah, I I I like this matchup. The more the more I think about it, I'm completely intrigued by what Vegas has done. And I I love the analogy of playing Possum and uh Tortorella coming in, uh the the Carter Hart story, getting the nod, the last six games of the year, the regular season, going six and oh, and then what he's been able to do in the postseason. And both these teams have been dominant for the most part in the postseason. I mean, it took 13 games for Carolina to get to the finals, and 16 games for Vegas to get to the finals. So they haven't played a ton of games to get there. They're relatively fresh going into this. So um reading the previews for both teams and uh the coaches for both teams, uh, I'm excited. I'm excited what we're gonna see here. But I do believe, uh, back to your original question, it's gonna boil down. You're gonna love this, and I'm just saying it because I'm talking to you. Yes, I love it. It's goaltending. It is the goaltending which is gonna make uh that in my mind that's been the difference for both teams heading into this one. Both goaltenders have played every single game, and I think it's going to be um, you know, which goalie can come up with the biggest save and the biggest moment, uh, that's gonna be a difference.

SPEAKER_01 14:39

Well, I I kind of think that your con smythe winner, unless something goes crazy, uh is gonna be one of your two goaltenders. Uh that's what I think. I think that if Freddie Anderson continues his play, I think, and wins the Stanley Cup, I think Freddie will be the con Smythe trophy winner. Uh couldn't happen to a nicer guy if it does happen. And I really hope I'm not jinxing him right now. Um but I also think uh on the other side of the coin, uh conversely, if Carter Hart stands on his head and kind of wills this team to the Stanley Cup, uh, I mean, I don't know, again, unless Jack Eichel or Mitch Marner continue to be dominant offensively and put up some insane numbers, or uh, like I said, Taylor Hall has really been, he's kind of found his home. And after playing on a lot of teams over a lot of years, uh, it probably is the best hockey he's ever played, especially in the playoffs. So, you know, he's kind of that guy in the background lurking as hey, if he has a stellar, you know, uh cup finals, I mean, he could end up being in the mix for the cons might. So um it's gonna be interesting because you just never know. You always, as pundit to go, okay, I think this is what's gonna happen, and then something totally out of left field happens, and all of a sudden you're talking about a different player uh winning that award. So uh best time of year, Stanley Cup finals. Um you can find me on my couch or somewhere near a TV for sure for the games, and just because when it's over, it's over for a long time, uh long offseason. So I really hope it goes to six or seven games, and then we we can really enjoy this finals. And um, you know, do you think about fan bases, Frenchie, like the Kaniacs? You know, I don't know. I I don't know how well, like, you know, globally this will be received. I mean, I know people are always intrigued by Vegas because of, you know, yes, there's a lot of things about Vegas, everybody loves Vegas as the city, you know, it the attraction of it, and I think people have kind of adopted that with their hockey team and because they're villains and just the way that they kind of go about their business, and they've been so competitive since coming into the NHL, you know. I think people are always like, okay, I I gotta watch this game. So it'll be interesting to see what the numbers are for the ratings of this finals. You know, can the Kaniacs really help draw uh TV viewership for this? Uh, or does Vegas kind of reel in most of the viewership for it? So that will be interesting, but nonetheless, it's two great teams. It's gonna be uh really fabulous to sit back and watch and put my feet up and and and maybe have a cold one, Frenchie.

SPEAKER_02 17:28

That yes, that could happen. It is it is June, right? It is summertime, so yes, yeah, yeah, absolutely hockey in June, end of the season. Yes, little ocean breeze coming through your windows. Yeah, of course, you're gonna have a little little cold beverage watching this one. What I find interesting too, and correct me if I'm wrong on this, but when you look at the goalies for both teams, they necessarily or they weren't necessarily the main guy um two weeks before the postseason, right? So Freddie and remind I I don't and I'm not in the back of my head kind of going back and forth a little bit. I'm not sure what the percentage of starts were, but he was kind of still, you know, Rod Brindamore finally anointed him as a as a head coach. You finally have to go, this is my guy.

SPEAKER_00 18:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 18:12

And so they went with Freddie, and then of course, you know, Torts came in and did that with Carter Hart with the final you know week and a half of the season. Both proved to be great decisions, but this wasn't always a foregone conclusion. Am I right? When it looks at when you look at these goalies a couple weeks out prior to the postseason.

SPEAKER_01 18:30

Yeah, I mean, the injuries played a big part of that uh throughout the course of the year for both goaltenders. And you know, Brandon uh Boosie came in and played extremely well out of nowhere. And but I think that you know, for the Canes, I think Rod Brindamore said, hey, listen, going into the playoffs, uh, I gotta get Freddie some action, I gotta get him into a rhythm, and then I have to I have to ride a goaltender that's got experience, and I think that's what it boiled down for for Freddie Anderson, making sure he got that nod. And then, you know, coaches always have that at their disposal, at the disposal that they can go and you know pull somebody in in favor of uh a backup and then see if they can get hot. And but you know, I I think the the testament of being down that road before, certainly for Freddie Anderson, you know, uh you could see how emotional if anybody watched the handshake at the end of that series against Montreal, you know, it it it takes a toll emotionally, uh trying to get through these series and move on, and then to accomplish, you know, winning the Eastern Conference Finals, moving on to the Stanley Cup Finals, knowing that this is a dream that everybody's had. I, you know, before when it was my age, I mean it was just like really US and Canadians. I mean, that was the goal and the dream going to the Stanley Cup, winning the Stanley Cup. It was not a European thing. But, you know, in the last you know, 30 years, with you know, the integration of it becoming a global sport, you have you know European players growing up with the same dream that they want to play in the NHL and win the Stanley Cup and hoist that cup over their head. Uh, it's the greatest moment in in hockey that you can achieve. And I think that you know, Freddie Anderson is one of those guys. I mean, Freddie's been dreaming about it. And the irony is that you're gonna have uh a former Toronto Maple Leaf win the Stanley Cup. And it's either gonna be Mitch Marner or it's gonna be Freddie Anderson.

SPEAKER_00 20:24

Good point.

SPEAKER_01 20:25

And they both played together in Toronto and they both went through the same scrutiny um by the Toronto media and the Toronto fan base, and and whether it was warranted or not. Um it's just a very difficult city to play in because the expectations are so high. So uh both those guys got new leases on life by moving on to different teams and being able to have a little less media pressure. And they've both, you know, obviously have played extremely well since moving on. So um, who will get the last laugh, Frenchie? That's what I want to know. Will it be Marner? Uh, and everybody in Toronto absolutely losing their minds because he couldn't do it there, and then he goes to Vegas and wins the Stanley Cup the very next season. I don't know if you can write anything better for a guy like Mitch Marner.

SPEAKER_02 21:12

Yeah, and I'm Mitch Marner, uh, 10 years in Toronto. Um, remarkable, as you mentioned, you know, Freddie versus versus Marner uh in the finals, but Marner didn't have to be the guy, right, in Toronto because he was full of stars in Austin Matthews and and everybody that was there. So it's kind of cool to see him go. Uh new outlook, spread his wings a little bit, and certainly, you know, he's he's risen to the occasion. Um both head coaches though, Gibo, we've talked a lot about uh Tortorella taking over in in Vegas and what he's been able to do and kind of I almost equate him as a kind of a bullpen. You call the coach of the bullpen to to close, right? To come in, to revigorate his team, and that's certainly been the case. But let's go to the other side of the equation. Let's go to the east and talk about Rodney. Brindamore, uh, somebody who you're familiar with, and he's probably the most jacked head coach out there, right? I mean, this guy is in impeccable shape. Um what what is he like? Because you played with him for for a minute.

SPEAKER_01 22:15

I did. Yeah, we were in St. Louis together, and um, yeah, I mean, Rod, we used to call him Rod the bod. And they actually had it, they had to kick him out of the weight room when I was in St. Louis. Like he would just, you know, we'd practice and then he would go right in the weight room before practice, after practice. Uh, so when they kicked him out, he just bought all this weight stuff and put it in his house. So he's still working out. Uh, but uh a quick funny story about Rod is that we at the beginning of training camp, we had this uh this guy, his name was Mackie Shillstone, and he was kind of like on the forefront of being, you know, these, you know, I guess nutritionists slashed you know mental coaches uh that didn't really exist in hockey at the time. He he actually used to work for with boxers, but the blues were able to get him to come in and he spent training camp with us and you know did a lot of positive reinforcement and um a lot of testing and everything. So he did this thing. He said, I'm gonna stand up in front of the room with you guys. And he goes, And I want you to pick out the strongest guy. And this guy, Mackie, weighed probably 135 pounds, if that, right? So he's standing up there and he says, My mental fortitude won't allow me to be lifted off this stage. And so they said, Can someone come up to do it? And everybody goes, Roddy, get up there. And so Roddy, who didn't say a lot of words back then, walked up and so Mackie says, Okay, I I want you, I'm gonna brace myself and I'm gonna will myself, you won't be able to lift me. Roddy didn't even say a word. He walks right up to him, grabs him, lifts him up over his head, puts him back down, walks back, sits in his seat. It was like we all looked at we're like, huh, well, that's pretty interesting. But uh, you know, listen, I mean, Rod was a uh an incredible player during his days, won a Stanley Cup with the Canes, was a captain of the Canes, you know, obviously transitioned into being coach. Um, and and I think the players identify with him because he one, he's been through the battles uh as a player, he's been able to be successful and win a Stanley Cup. His leadership uh was always off the charts. And I think as he just translated to the uh transition to coaching, that leadership quality just never left, right? And I and I think the guys uh that he coaches understand that immediately. You know, his passion for the game, his love for the game, and really his love for his players uh really comes through, and and you can see that uh between the players and him. So um, you know, he's just uh one of these guys that is just a hockey lifer, uh, eats, drinks, and sleeps hockey, loves it. Uh I was on the road last season, uh filling in for Brian Hayward, and I was walking through, you know, the underbelly of uh the arena there, and uh all of a sudden I I see Roddy at the other end, and and I hadn't seen him in a couple years, and you know, it was just like old times, you know. He's like, Hey man, what are you doing? You're on the road now, and I said, I just filling in, you know, like you said, out of the bullpen. Um, but just uh a classy guy. Um, and I I think for him, and we talk about superstitions and we all have them, especially as athletes. I think that uh the story, I think, where you're going down the road is is one. Um how do you address winning the Eastern Conference Championship, right? There is a lovely trophy that you should embrace, but as hockey players, and I know in other sports very similar, is that you know, there is this curse out there that if you touch the trophy, you don't win the Stanley Cup. And so I know that you have a bit of a story that you've read about that whole thing.

SPEAKER_02 25:59

No, it's perfect. Uh yeah, it was, I guess a lot of players, it's a Prince of Wales trophy that was presented to his team after they won the Eastern Conference final, and a couple guys went up to him and said, So what are you supposed to do? Do we touch it? And he's like, You can do whatever you do. You can do whatever you want to do, just don't touch it. Just don't touch it.

SPEAKER_01 26:18

Yeah, we don't want to look back in uh four to seven games and say, Yeah, we shouldn't have touched it.

SPEAKER_02 26:22

Yeah, the uh the press conference and and and two, you're describing Rod perfectly, just his demeanor. He's just very kind of a dry guy, it seems like. He said it just with no expression on his face. He's like, I told him they can do whatever they like to do, just don't touch it.

unknown 26:39

There you go.

SPEAKER_02 26:39

Yep, enough said, right? Enough said, enough said. All right, uh Stanley Cup final is set. Uh the Canes, Vegas Golden Knights, and uh we'll have a lot more on that next time you see us. But um, as we do on this podcast, we're kind of all over the place. And something that was kind of caught my eye, uh, Gebo, was being a sneaker free agent. Um we are. If anybody's listening, I've been a sneaker-free agent all my life, been a clothing free agent all my life. I mean, come on, let's, you know, come on, people support us here. Come on, golden goose. Golden Goose. Yeah, we did that for a while, didn't we? Um, that being said, Steph Curry uh was with Under Armour. Ironically, I'm wearing my Under Armour uh hoodie. Yeah, I could say very proudly. Right? I am wearing if Under Armour now is short a guy.

SPEAKER_01 27:32

Wait, are are are we sponsored by Under Armour right now that I'm not aware of? Where's my swag?

SPEAKER_02 27:37

They're down a man. So hey, we can help out a little bit. 13 years, Steph Curry's with Under Armour. Uh, he just signed with a Chinese sportswear company called Lee Ning. Uh the um the deal, of course, has is just newly inked. Uh, I'm sure it's he'll be well compensated. Uh but Geba, before we get into this deal, I wanted to ask you about any endorsements that you had that were pretty pretty cool back in the day. Were were were you was your was your door being pounded down because they wanted Gui A Bear to be the face of their organization?

SPEAKER_01 28:17

Uh I listen, I'll say in the world of hockey players and the NHL, you know, really for endorsements back when I played were really directly related to the sport, right? So not that sneakers aren't uh sneakers are more global, obviously. Um for me, it was uh, you know, doing endorsement deals with my equipment companies, but uh, you know, whether it was uh back at the time I started, and it's actually a really quick, cool story. Uh when I was in St. Louis, you know, I mean, I was just lucky to get equipment from the team, and they gave me like I came out of a small college and I showed up and they're like, Oh yeah, yeah, we'll have like you know, catching glove and blocker and whatever and pads. Well, I'm like, can I get them? Oh you have to order them, whatever. So I end up getting to St. Louis, and I'm like, hey, the only thing I really don't have is is a blocker. My my blocker is destroyed. So he pulled out this blocker, it was brand new, but it was the I mean, it was still just you know transitioning into like you know, colorful uh uh goalie gear, right? They pull out this old original like Cooper blocker that was just regular leather. And so they're like, I'm like, that's it. I'm like, no other goalie in the NHL, like yeah, Greg Millen's there, Vinny Riondo, I mean Curtis Joseph, like there's a bunch of guys. I'm like, is there not like another guy's blocker that even if it's used, I'll use they're like, no, this is all we got. So I was known as the goalie without a contract, out there in like good nice white pads and uh a St. Louis Blues catching glove in this ugly old regular leather blocker. So uh come full circle. This guy named Brian Heaton, who had a goalie gear called Heaton, uh saw me uh on a road trip that he was on.

SPEAKER_02 30:05

What the hell are you doing?

SPEAKER_01 30:06

And he did, and I had a heaton catching glove, and so he said, Hey, um I'll send you a new blocker. I said, Okay, great. I appreciate it. You know, I'm like, I don't know if the team will pay for it. And he said, Nope, nope. He says, uh, hope to do business with you down the road. Uh wear it, enjoy it, give me any feedback from it, and then maybe we'll try to get you into a full set of gear. So that's how my relationship with Heaton started. Nice. Uh, and then and eventually signed a uh contract with them to wear all his gear, and it was a great relationship. And then later on, I moved on to um a different brand, Bauer, and was heading up. I've heard of I've heard of Bauer. Yeah. So uh, but yeah, and so for hockey that that really was the extent of my uh thing. But it was nice. I mean, you know, they paid you some money to wear something that you had to wear, and you had really nice input with the equipment manufacturer on what you wanted done. Not that they didn't do it anyways, but they were even more uh involved when they were paying you some money to wear it. So um it was great. It was great. So I can uh that's a little mini thing of what I'm sure that Steph Curry is gonna be involved in with this thing.

SPEAKER_02 31:18

Yeah, well, I tried to get a uh a dress uh clothing deal, like a uh which you should have, yeah. You know, a uh you know, suits and and shirts and all that kind of fun stuff. And uh back in the day with Adelphia, and I was trying to do some promotions and and uh giveaways and things of that nature, and I was working hard and I thought I might be able to get a deal, and one day I was called in and said, Hey, we got something for you. I'm like, I'm really excited about this, and this could be you know something big, and I got a dress shirt, and it was a dress shirt that was made for somebody that was never picked up. So I might fit. I hope it fit. Thanks. Yeah, no, it was it was something, and uh it was the only kind of free thing that I think I've received, to my knowledge that I can remember. Um uh we did a a clothing deal back in the day with uh the ducks, Hazy Johnny, and I uh in the in our broadcasting. That was Kate our cable days. So back in the I think it was the Fox days, um, Hugo Boss, we had a um a little fun thing with them. We're able to get some um that's that's discounts and stuff. Yeah, and I'm still wearing, I'm still, and I mean that's that's top notch, so I'm still wearing some of their suits today. So uh, but yeah, that was that was a fun story back in the day. I was I got a dress shirt, it was made for somebody else, it wasn't picked up. I wore it with pride. That was that was the end of it. Um, but back to the stuff deal.

SPEAKER_01 32:46

We got to collectively work on this stuff.

SPEAKER_02 32:48

We have this, yes. I I have I have uh sponsorship issues, as as some might say, but not Steph Curry, Gebo. Back to stuff. Check this out. I I don't think I've ever heard this word before, but part of this new deal, basketball products, he's have athleisure lifestyle wear. Athleisure. Have you heard that term before? Yes, I have. You have? Well, I'm see, I'm new to the game on this. Um yeah. This Lululemon Is that athleisure? Alo, aloe, whatever you call it.

SPEAKER_01 33:18

Yeah, athleisure wear.

SPEAKER_02 33:20

See, I'm just so out of the loop on this stuff, and I do wear a little Lulu stuff. So athleisure. Athleisure, okay. I like that. Uh he can sign athletes under his brand, the curry brand. So he can have some athletes come on. And then this might have been the kicker, Gibo, full golf line. Steph Curry. We know that he is virtually, I think he might be a scratch golfer, but Steph Curry gets a full golf line. And they're gonna build curry brand stores in the U.S. and China. So this is a cool deal. And the thing I like about this is I'm all about branding. Right. I'm all about branding them, and it's not working very well. I'm all about branding. Frenchativity. We've talked about that before. Our family brand. So all about creating a brand, owning your own brand, and going out there and promoting it. But Steph gets to do this now, not that Under Armour is not global, but certainly being part of uh Li Ning, uh a Chinese um athletic wear company, that sportswear company, that he is gonna have a chance to really increase his global brand. Um it's a 10-year deal. So excited to see kind of what he's able to do with this and kind of the empire, if you will, that he's gonna build underneath it. So it's kind of a kind of a cool deal.

SPEAKER_01 34:34

I I I I'd sign up for it tomorrow, right? Um but yeah, this is like Jordan like, where he gets control um probably of his name and being able to have a product with his name on it, whether it's continue with the the shoes and of course the golf. Um but Under Armour has been financially in some trouble in the last several years, right? I mean, that was once a a company that was rivaling Nike, Adidas, all those, and they've had some some real issues uh in the last few years. So I think that um probably the money that he can get outside uh of Under Armour, they probably couldn't, Under Armour could probably couldn't compete with that, and they probably were thinking uh if they had to part ways, this was probably the time to do it. But yeah, good for him. I mean, love the fact that he can get out there, you know, and move on to we know at some point he's gonna stop playing basketball, and we do know he loves to play golf, and he is an excellent golfer. And how cool is it to move into something after your professional basketball career, to move into your passion career and just be around golf and have you know a big say in you know what you want to make for people to wear, uh not just yourself, but you think that other uh golfers might want to uh be out there wearing. And um, yeah, I think the design aspect of it is really cool. And again, we're available, Steph. If yeah, you know, as Frenchy says, he's he looks better than he golfs, so at least he can look really good in some some curry golf wear.

SPEAKER_02 36:15

Yeah, we are sponsorship free agents. We will go all NASCAR if uh put patches all over the place if if need be. We're certainly uh we're certainly there for you. But what I yeah, I I agree with you, and and I don't know if anything will ever ever rival what Michael Jordan did and the Jordan brand. I mean, that continues to grow, and it it's it's unreal what that's able to do. But to be able to have uh and grow your own brand, and and when you're done playing, for you to sell input and your name is still as big, if not continues to to escalate after your playing days, that is truly impressive. So um and again, it's all about the branding, him being a businessman. So I'm excited to see what Seth Curry can do with this uh new organization leaning moving forward for the next 10 years. Nobody knows what that is for the most part, but they will soon. Now they will. Now they will. Um well yeah, Gibo, and uh, you know, on that note, I'm gonna go look for a sponsorship deal.

SPEAKER_01 37:20

Yes, let's yeah, let's do that. We're uh yeah, we're I'm I'm I'm digging. I know you're digging. Yeah, and uh who wouldn't want to sponsor us? Who wouldn't?

SPEAKER_02 37:29

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 37:30

Hey, uh on a quick note before we we sign off because I know we're gonna sign off quick quickly, but I'll be able to talk about this more next week on our podcast. I will be at the Newport Beach TV Fest once again representing the Anaheim Ducks and uh incredible amount of um best shows that you've ever seen, actors that you've seen that will be celebrated in Newport Beach over a few days. So if you've never been, I highly encourage people to go. I do know one sold-out event that I am going to, and that is gonna be the Friday night uh Andy Cohen. And if you are Bravo, and I know we talked about Bravo uh in the past, like you know, um uh it's gonna be cool. So I'll have a lot to report from uh Andy Cohen, and uh hopefully I get to see some other famous people while I'm down there.

SPEAKER_02 38:28

Can you do a little man on the street for the mask of the mic? Can you like do a little uh red carpet? Hey Andy, come over here, it's key for the mask of the mic. He'll go, oh yeah. Yes, right. That's you're a big you're a big Bravo guy. I've heard about you. You guys you talk us up all the time on your podcast.

SPEAKER_01 38:43

You know, it is true. Uh I know. Listen, he's from St. Louis, he's uh big, you know, St. Louis Blues Cardinals fan. All right. And uh, you know, playing for St. Louis at one point in my career. Uh, but yeah, I'll see if we can uh we can do anything. That would be kind of I and listen, he's gonna be mobbed. And so the chance of whatever. I'm hoping that in some sort of VIP section I can say hello or get a picture. And if that is the case, then uh I will have the picture on here for next week. But I want pictures and video pictures and video.

SPEAKER_02 39:14

I love that. It's a great teaser right there. That's gonna be a uh a must-see, a must-tune-in podcast uh next time. So don't forget, you can uh catch us, uh the Master Mic on our YouTube channel. Certainly uh if you want to see us uh talk about all this wonderful stuff. If not, just listen to us on Spotify and Apple Podcast as well. Uh Gibo, it's been a lot of fun, little technical issues, but we've gotten through. It looks like we're still recording, so that's a good thing. Uh, and good Lord willing, this podcast will go out on Wednesday as it always does every single Wednesday. Uh and as always, until next time, Gibo, how do we like to sign off?

SPEAKER_01 39:48

Well, and with all our technical difficulties today, I'm just gonna stay and good for us.