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| One of the three shirts Sauce Hockey created to help raise money for Jack Jablonski. (Sauce Hockey) |
Jack Jablonski was a talented high-school hockey player in Minnesota before an accident on the rink forever changed his life.
On January 30, Jablonski was hit head first into the boards and he suffered a severed spinal cord in the accident in addition to breaking two vertebrae while playing the game he loves. His Red Knight teammates went on to win the Minnesota Class 2A State Hockey Championship.
Minnesota hockey changed forever with one hit. The state association changed the rules on how referees are supposed to call penalties and putting other players in high-risk situations. Nation-wide, people began raising funds for Jablonski and his family to help pay medical bills and raise awareness.
One company that stepped up to help Jablonski and his family is the hockey-centric clothing company, Sauce Hockey.
Eye on Hockey chatted with Sauce Hockey co-founder Eric Kleineck to discuss helping raise funds for the Jablonski family and other hockey matters.
EYE ON HOCKEY: How did you get involved with Jack Jablonski?
KLEINECK: From the first time we heard about Jack Jablonski and his tragic accident, we were in shock. It put a lot of things in to perspective for us. One of the ladies that works with us, Janice, her son played on his high school team in Minnesota. We expressed our interest to help in whatever capacity that we could and we decided to work with the Jablonski family to create a shirt we would sell where 100 percent of the profit would go to Jack and his family. We can't even begin to comprehend what Jack and his family is going through. The Jabs shirt, the promotion and awareness was the least we could do.
EYE ON HOCKEY: How much money have you raised for Jablonski?
KLEINECK: Since we launched the first shirt a couple months ago, we have raised over $40,000 for them and we're now on to our 3rd shirt design. We got a bunch of our celebrity and NHL friends to help us in making a video that we launched for Jack to help lift his spirits as well. He's made great progress, but he's got a long road ahead. Miracles happen every day and we're pulling for him, we're his biggest fans. Jack has been a true inspiration to us. His strength, his courage, his great attitude motivates us every day.
EYE ON HOCKEY: How did you decide to start sauce hockey? What was the moment that it clicked for you like?
KLEINECK: Brett Beckfeld and I had been friends from high school and his junior hockey days in the USHL in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. We went our separate ways for college, but ended up starting Sauce Hockey together after we graduated. We saw a niche in the hockey market that was untapped and decided to go for it. We put together a team of our friends, who are the most creative and talented people in the world at what they do, to join us and away we went. It started small and has grown exponentially every month since. The hockey community was missing a brand that could parallel the unique culture that is hockey and deliver it in a simplistic, fashion-forward, design-driven way. At Sauce, we don’t just sell clothes we offer an experience. Each of our products tells a story that takes you to a familiar place as a hockey fan/player. Customers have really embraced the brand, because of this and they've formed that intimacy with Sauce, because they can relate to it. It's genuine, honest, and often times showcases the lighter side of the game. The support we've gotten from customers from day 1, has allowed the Sauce Hockey brand to grow. We're humbled and so thankful that a bunch of normal, average guys like all of us have been able to do we what we love and be involved in hockey.
EYE ON HOCKEY: What was your first successful product?
KLEINECK: When we started Sauce Hockey in 2009, we had 6 shirts and 2 hats. A few of the products did really well and a couple flopped. I think it takes failure to find success a lot of times and that was the case for us. We took the risk, put ourselves out there and by doing so, we found our niche and direction that has gotten us to where we are today. You definitely learn more from your mistakes than you do from your successes.
EYE ON HOCKEY: How were your original pieces of clothing created and how are they created today? How much business did you do in 2009 compared to now?
KLEINECK: The funny thing is, when Brett and I started Sauce, we knew nothing about the textile industry. We learn something new everyday and I think that curiosity and hunger for information and knowledge has driven us. We treat each of our products as an art piece. From the design process, to the manufacturing, to the display at retail we use it as opportunity to be creative and look at it as an extension of the brand. In 2009 we had 6 shirts and 2 hats and were selling on our old website. Since then we've launched in Canada, and expanded to retail stores in North America. We have about 100 retail stores that currently carry our products and that number continues to grow daily. We are looking to launch in Europe soon when the time is right. It is looking like Sweden will be our first market in Europe.
EYE ON HOCKEY: How did your involvement with Paul Bissonnette aka biznasty2point0 start?
KLEINECK: We met Paul in Phoenix through the Phoenix Coyotes initially. We had some talks and finally decided it was a good fit to start working together. We all have a very similar vision for life, business, hockey, and just love to have a good time, so it was a natural fit. Paul is an awesome guy. He does a lot for charity, promotes the game of hockey in a way that you don’t see often. He is good socially and is very honest, which is why people relate to him and respect him. He's really a breath of fresh air when it comes to personality in hockey and in sports. In 2010, we created the Biznasty line, which is a signature line of clothing thru Sauce, that captures the energy and personality of Paul and his twitter account into the products. Paul is big on giving to charity and likes helping out the homeless. We've been able to bring 200+ homeless people to Phoenix Coyotes games thru our Biznasty charity shirt sales. It's been really awesome to be able to give back as much as we can to this great game.
