Paul Stastny: Hockey Legend and Sportiqe Fan

I’ve been wearing Sportiqe for years now. I’m a big music guy. I like to go to concerts. To show you how naïve I used to be, I used to think that all the different t-shirts they sold at concerts were made by the same company. But the first time I put on a Sportiqe shirt I was immediately struck by how comfortable it felt. 

As a hockey player, I’m highly attuned to feel and comfort. If a stick is ten grams lighter – that’s a really small amount – I can tell. If my gloves get too soft my shot won’t be as hard. So I’m always paying attention to the fine line of breaking my gloves in but you don’t want them broken down. I instantly know when my skates are too wet.

When you’re on the ice for a couple of hours a day for 20 plus years – that attention to detail is what makes you who you are as a player. Every professional athlete will tell you: as much as the game is physical, it’s the mental aspect that makes the difference between an average player and a good player; between a good player and a great player.

If you don’t feel comfortable, if you know something is off, if your stick doesn’t feel right, if your skates are too wet, then it’s always in the back of your head – and you can use it as an excuse.

That’s why I want everything to be perfect when I’m on the ice. And I correlate my personal life with my playing life. I want everything to feel comfortable.

When I tried on Sportiqe for the first time I immediately felt that sense of comfort. Over time, I really noticed the quality. You know how sometimes you buy a shirt at a concert or sporting event and after you wash it once or twice all the colors start fading away and soon you’ve got to get rid of it. Sportiqe shirts are just the opposite.

Everybody in my family noticed how comfortable the shirts were immediately. My family would come to the house for a holiday. They’d try one on and want to keep it. Soon my mom was asking for more for my dad. I said: “Hey, I lost some weight. I’m not an XL anymore. I’m a large.”

“That’s okay,” she said, “he’ll fit into it!”

Over the years, Sportiqe has become part of my lifestyle. When you’re playing on a professional sports team, you travel to the airport in a suit. If it’s a two-hour plus flight, I’m always changing into my Sportiqes.

So it makes sense that I’d make sure to have on my Sportiqes when I went to the hospital before my first child was born.

I was leaving practice – and getting updates. My wife was getting induced. It wasn’t like the crazy scene you’d imagine seeing in a movie. My wife said it wasn’t going fast -- I could take my time. The last thing I wanted was to be at the hospital for 16 hours in jeans and a collared shirt. So I went home, got a hoodie for my wife, and put on my sweat pants and Sportiqe t.

That’s what my daughter, Riley, first felt when I hugged her.

We have Sportiqe blankets. But now we’re wondering: When is the kids’ line coming out?

Hey, three-year-olds need Sportiqe, too . . .

• This post was written by Cal Fussman in collaboration with Paul Stastny. For more information, check out https://www.calfussman.com/