Dustin on Dustin

US Olympic alternate captain and Los Angeles Kings captain, Dustin Brown talks about his brand new equipment line.

A little information below on the new equipment line, from the Los Angeles Times.

Kings captain Dustin Brown will be the guest of honor tonight at the House of Blues in Anaheim at the launching of Combat Sports’ new DLo23 line of hockey sticks, which he plans to use next season.

The sticks and a planned apparel line will be manufactured in North America, and the company’s offices are in Ottawa and Kent, Wash. Brown is the company’s lone NHL endorser, according to his agent, Scott Norton.

Norton also provided an explanation for the name DLo23, beyond the obvious inclusion of Brown’s uniform number.

Norton said DLo is the nickname Brown was given by teammates during his junior hockey days in Guelph of the Ontario Hockey League, in honor of a WWG wrestler by that name. “Once he got to L.A., guys just called him ‘Browny,’ like anyone else whose last name is Brown,” Norton said.

“Now that he gets his own line, he wanted to go back to his original nickname.”

DL – You’re the first NHL player to blaze a new trail and launch your own equipment line – who was your inspiration, what brought you to this decision and why did you chose this route?

DB – I have always been very picky with my equipment.  Many companies have approached my agent Scott Norton during my career, and although there have been some generous offers, I have not felt like I would be a part of the production team.  With Combat, they want me to be involved in every step which is really what I want.

DL – Can fans purchase your equipment?

DB – First, we are working on my new “DLo23″ stick.  The exact stick that I will be using will be available to fans in stores.  Other companies sell a different stick to fans with a player’s name on them, Combat will be marketing the exact same stick which I will use in NHL games!

DL – What are the positives that come out of this for the avid hockey equipment buyer – performance wise, what type of gear can they expect to buy?

DB – As I said above, it should be comforting for the public to know they are purchasing a stick which I helped design and feel good enough about that I use it in every NHL game.

DL – What will your equipment line include?

DB – Combat and my side are working through this as we go along.  We feel that we should release items one at a time and take our time to insure that each is perfect and something with which I am comfortable.  The “DLo23″ stick line will be coming out first, and then probably we will begin work on the “DLo23″ apparel line.

DL – What do the new Combat Sports’ DLo23 line of hockey sticks bring that other stick manufacturers can not and why should players purchase them?

DB – I am not the scientists employed by Combat, so I can not go into the specifics other than to tell you that I love my sticks and their durability. But I can tell you, because they are the best sticks on the market; because I use them; and because they are the only 1 piece which are completley developed and produced in North America.  All other companies ship out to workers overseas, but Combat and myself feel VERY strongly that we should support our local workers and economy.