Last week, we reintroduced the Skating Penguin Network Podcast to readers, and this week, we are excited to highlight the two newest episodes of the show which came out on Friday and earlier this morning
just a few hours before this post went live
In Friday’s episode, Robbie and Snail had the opportunity to sit down and speak with CJ Gamble, founder and CEO of 96 Brand, formerly Just Do Hockey, for a wide ranging interview hitting on his hockey equipment line, the growth of the game in Asia where he lives, the Pittsburgh Penguins, and a whole lot more.
If you are unfamiliar with CJ and his work in hockey equipment, he started his company with the idea of bringing the iconic Nike look from the 90’s back to the game after Nike discontinued its hockey line years ago. During his design phase he worked with Nike directly and sought avenues to convince them to get back into the hockey equipment game.
Unfortunately, Nike decided to not reenter the hockey market at this time, but CJ did receive permission to move forward with his designs just without the world famous Swoosh branding. This led him to rebrand his company from Just Do Hockey, to 96 Brand, an ode to when Sergei Fedorov donned his famous white Nike skates for the first time back in 1996.
These skates were made famous by Fedorov, and many of today’s players remember the look longingly from their youth. It had such an impact, that CJ was asked to design pairs of skates for Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and Sidney Crosby.
Now moving into a new design phase as 96 Brand, CJ discussed with Robbie and Snail what lies ahead for him and the company as they shift gears and look to break into the hockey market with the old Nike look but carrying its own brand name.
In the latest Skating Penguin Network episode that just debuted this morning, Robbie and Snail were behind the mic again to discuss Marc-Andre Fleury’s farewell game from Saturday and catch up on all the preseason and training camp news coming out of the Penguins camp.
Both Robbie and Snail have found memories of Fleury playing in Pittsburgh and watching Saturday night brought a lot of those memories back while also acknowledging this era of Penguins hockey is now coming to an end after over two decades of unparalleled success.
Saturday night was the perfect sendoff for one of the first and most crucial pieces of the Penguins success during the Crosby/Malkin era, and the Penguins did a spectacular job pulling off the moment and honoring Fleury in the way he deserves.
The guys also discussed players who have impressed them during preseason play who is making an strong push for an opening night roster spot. We are just a little over a week away from the real thing, and who makes the cut and who doesn’t will likely come down to the wire with three preseason games remaining.
Give both episodes a listen below directly from the podcast feed on Apple or your preferred podcast listening destination.
