16553 replies to this topic

[daveski7]

This^

[60PlusWinger]

Warrior hockey is based out of warren Michigan but it’s owned by new balance which dominates Boston. Hence why the bruins went from having the worst practice rink in the league to a state of the art Warrior Ice arena with a 200 ft tall alpha DX stick out side of it..

Bauer used to be a big part of TSR in NH which does have a relationship with bruins but I’m fairly certain the Bauer and TSR relationship started breaking down years ago

The Boston Bruins practice facility is “Warrior arena”. Bauer and the Boston Bruins aren’t really a thing at this point. TSR and the Boston Bruins either. New Balance owns Warrior, the University of Maine is now a Warrior school, their multi million dollar fitness facility is the New Balance center. I don’t know if Auston Matthews and Warrior had anything to do with him being in Boston but I do know that from the pro world Warrior has made a very big push to get names on their board. From Pros that I know they’ve all said Warrior taking very good care of their guys.

[dimitrym91]

Interesting. Warrior seems to have a good relationship with the Wings as well which makes sense based on being in Warren. It seems Bauer in the last few years has started to have more guys wearing their stuff. It used to seem like it was the guys they had sponsorships with and that's it. Now it seems a bit more widespread

[Dupes]

IMO Matthews probably has a something in his contract about the playoffs? He can maybe use any twig?

Definitely an interesting topic.

[wbj]

IMO Matthews probably has a something in his contract about the playoffs? He can maybe use any twig?
Definitely an interesting topic.

It’s probably that he just signed a $58 million dollar contract so the $200k per year he gets from Bauer and could lose out on is a drop in the bucket if he feels like he’s not producing with their sticks

[Junkyard Athletic]

IMO Matthews probably has a something in his contract about the playoffs? He can maybe use any twig?

Definitely an interesting topic.

Never would Bauer write a deal like this for ANY NHL player, let alone AM.

 

It’s probably that he just signed a $58 million dollar contract so the $200k per year he gets from Bauer and could lose out on is a drop in the bucket if he feels like he’s not producing with their sticks

QFT

[dimitrym91]

No chance I can see a stick company giving their guy an out in the playoffs. If anything there is more exposure then so you would absolutely want the guys in your product at that point

[Mr Data]

Never would Bauer write a deal like this for ANY NHL player, let alone AM.

 

QFT

 

Can you enlighten us on why Matthews is using Warrior twigs then? Just straight-up breaching his contract?

[Steelnation248]

I'd imagine a player who will be making $11+ mil per season soon cares more about producing on the scoreboard than some contract he has for branding.

[cthockey]

Most players wearing companies gear get paid in merchandise credit now a days. Cash is a thing of the past unless your a top 10 player in the league. Bauer gives you credit to Lulu Lemon and other designer fashion stores. Last I heard Warrior was still offering mid/upper level players $$$ to use their gear. As far as Matthews switching sticks goes I'm sure they all either have a clause added into their contracts that allows them to switch brands if they choose to do so or like others have said he just said *%$# it and was willing to forgo any $$$$ Bauer might have given him for playoffs to switch to a stick he could score a goal with. 

IMO he would have scored 3 out of the 5 goals even if he was still using his Bauer. Those cross ice pass goals he's had are nasty. Some will say without the DX in his hands he wouldnt have the quick release to score them but we will never know. 

[flip12]

My guess would be it’s more of a hot hand phenomenon where having a different stick that he can feel is different and he is consciously aware of being different could be enough to convert from pressing too hard to reigniting his touch. Almost a placebo effect, but with that performance<–confidence loop that makes me think it’s something else.

In particular, is it generally known what build his Warrior sticks are? They might not even be DX. His release is top of the top, so he could probably score in the NHL with low-end build P92s.

[JoeyJ0506]

This from JR over at ModSquad Hockey:

 

[Junkyard Athletic]

Can you enlighten us on why Matthews is using Warrior twigs then? Just straight-up breaching his contract?

Because he wasn't scoring goals with his Bauer sticks, had sticks from Warrior sitting there, and decided to try them (Warrior) to see if they changed his luck.

 

Having worked with HOF players before, this is how it works.  The contract isn't worth wiping your ass with.

 

 

Most players wearing companies gear get paid in merchandise credit now a days. Cash is a thing of the past unless your a top 10 player in the league. Bauer gives you credit to Lulu Lemon and other designer fashion stores. Last I heard Warrior was still offering mid/upper level players $$$ to use their gear. As far as Matthews switching sticks goes I'm sure they all either have a clause added into their contracts that allows them to switch brands if they choose to do so or like others have said he just said *%$# it and was willing to forgo any $$$$ Bauer might have given him for playoffs to switch to a stick he could score a goal with. 

IMO he would have scored 3 out of the 5 goals even if he was still using his Bauer. Those cross ice pass goals he's had are nasty. Some will say without the DX in his hands he wouldnt have the quick release to score them but we will never know. 

FACT = AM isn't a merchandise credit guy with Bauer.  He's a big $$$$$$ cash guy with them.

 

FACT = NO NHL player with a stick/glove deal has an out for ANY REASON.

[Wheelin89]

Ovi going full sock TJ in warmies, strange.

[Adam]

Most players wearing companies gear get paid in merchandise credit now a days. Cash is a thing of the past unless your a top 10 player in the league. Bauer gives you credit to Lulu Lemon and other designer fashion stores. Last I heard Warrior was still offering mid/upper level players $$$ to use their gear.

Their requirements/expectations in order to get paid are all over the map though. They were interested in making a friend of mine one of their "endorsed" athletes after a deal fell through with another brand. The terms led him to just being like "I'd rather keep just using your sticks and the gear I'm using" because the headache wasnt worth it.

100% Matthew's tried a sample because of a slump. Saw it with Ovi using Bauer the last time he left ccm before his deal was up too. it's not uncommon

[dimitrym91]

For a guy like Matthews, Bauer probably just bites their tongue because of a couple reasons. First, sticks aren't as visible with branding as say gloves, pants, and especially helmets are (this is probably the branding logo we would see the most on tv). Second, Matthews is a top 10 player in the league in terms of exposure so you don't want to get on him to use your sticks and risk alienating him totally. Issues can be fixed with gear, maybe not over night but it can be done. Maybe it happens over the course of the summer at this point and he just rides the Warrior twig for the rest of the playoffs. Not ideal for Bauer but again not the end of the world because the stick isn't the primary branding most people see on tv.

 

Bauer is better off biting their tongue for a month in order to keep Matthews as an overall Bauer guy for the next 10 years. These gear companies are going to look at this long term and realize getting on a guy for a couple of weeks of testing something else isn't worth losing him for the next 10+ prime years of exposure Matthews could give Bauer

[Maligator175]

Matthews using a Warrior twig tonight. Think Bauer will be pissed??

[PittFan8]

Maybe it happens over the course of the summer at this point and he just rides the Warrior twig for the rest of the playoffs.

Welp. That was fast.

[Reagan85]

They’re going to be soooo pissed! 😉

[dimitrym91]

Welp. That was fast.

 

Hahahahahaha Matthews just wanted to give the Bauer stick crew an extra month and a half to fix the issues before next season. The Leafs are so helpful to their brand reps!