'It Can Really Get Rockin’ In The Playoffs': Sutton Talks Nassau Coliseum, Islanders & Verbero on TSN 1260
Verbero Owner & CEO Andy Sutton felt the spine-tingling atmosphere inside Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum - known simply as ‘Nassau Coliseum’ - over his 135 games as a New York Islander.
Sutton got familiar with the aura of the arena and its loyal fan base over his time on Long Island, suiting up with the club over three seasons. New York currently leads the Tampa Bay Lightning 1-0 in the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs Semifinals and will receive a big boost from the crowd when Game 3 is played back on home ice in the iconic barn on Thursday.
“It can really get rockin’ in the playoffs,” Sutton told TSN 1260 Host Tom Gazzola Monday.
“It’s definitely an older building but it has a feel to it that is very different than the rest of the buildings in the League, which are virtually all the same. And then I think just the acoustics in there are different than other buildings. With the history they have there, they definitely got something special. Those fans are really invigorating and they have a great team to cheer for.”
Sutton got well-acquainted with many teammates during his time in New York and is proud to watch his former squad gain success in the postseason. The 15-year NHL veteran noted that he had the luxury of mentoring current Isles players.
“You look at Josh Bailey, for example, being there and playing so well,” Sutton said. “It’s a lot of fun seeing the players that they’ve evolved into. He was good when he was young and now to see him interviewed, he’s turned into an incredible veteran. It’s been pretty cool to see guys like that turn into incredible superstars.”
There is nothing quite like competing in the National Hockey League playoffs but Sutton says he keeps his competitive drive alive with Verbero Hockey. The equipment and apparel company implements a direct and online approach to full team servicing, which differs from other hockey brands.
“For me personally, similar to when I played, you never stop trying to perfect your craft. It’s the same thing with a brand,” Sutton said. “Working every day to make sure that I’m making the brand better, making sure the products are better every day, making sure we have more automation and better service.
“We have the only full carbon fiber skate, we have the lightest stick on the market at 350 grams, we have full 3D-printed custom helmets. We have the only proprietary team store software where we make products available 24/7/365 for our teams and partners.”
Verbero also offers unmatched commission rates to its sales representatives and grants kickback benefits to all club or organization that partner with Verbero.
“We want to work directly with the customer," Sutton added. "We want to pass on as much savings as we can and want our products to be up there with the best products in the game. In a lot of regards, we have those products and offer them at dramatically reduced prices compared to the competition.”
Listen to Sutton's full interview with TSN 1260 HERE and for a limited time, customers can take advantage of Verbero's Stick Blowout promotion, which reduces the cost of the lightweight, 350-gram Mercury Pro Composite Stick!