The Founder's Journey
Bret
Hedican
Stanley Cup Champion. 2-Time Olympian. 17-Season Veteran. The man behind the patches.
The Foundation
5 INGREDIENTS
Years of physical and mental reps, and plenty of self-talk, shaped the values that built both Bret and the HEDi brand.
HUMILITY
Having the curiosity to pursue incremental improvement. To want to learn, and to know you don't have all the answers. Humility is the realization that all of this is a lot bigger than me.
CHARACTER
The contribution and effort we make, the responsibility we take, and the leadership we show. Character is doing what you say you're going to do and owning the outcome.
SELFLESSNESS -M.O.B.
Make Others Better. Greatness happens when we're more concerned with the people around us and their success than our own, and have a willingness to do whatever it takes to help the team.
RESPECT
Dig deep enough and you'll see the cornerstone of any winning environment is rooted in respect and love. They don't happen overnight — they take time to grow. They are earned.
LOVE
It's respect and love that separate great environments from not-so-great environments. Love for the game, for the people beside you, and for the journey itself.
Guess it makes sense a guy with a value system rooted in humility and a desire to wander the world because it’s bigger than he is would create a backpack built to reveal your character, defining moments, and the contributions you’ve made along the way.
Everyone has a story, and the story gets better the more curious we are.
The Inspiration
It started with a jacket he couldn't throw away.
Moments Make Us
Over 1,000 NHL games. Three Stanley Cup Finals. One Cup. Two Olympics. When it was all over, the thing Bret Hedican could not put in a box was a hockey jacket covered in patches.
His mom didn't cut the jacket up. She carefully removed each patch and stitched them onto a quilt, so the moments came off the jacket he'd outgrown and onto a keepsake he could enjoy.
That quilt is why HEDiGEAR exists. Moments shouldn't sit in a closet. They should go where you go.
"Everyone has a story, and the story gets better the more curious we are."
The Legacy
PROFESSIONAL
CAREER
From the frozen ponds of Minnesota to the peak of the NHL, Bret's career was defined by longevity, reliability, and championship poise.
College & Early Days
St. Cloud State (1988–91). Helped launch the Huskies' Division I program under legendary coach Herb Brooks, and still holds the team record for points by a defenseman in a season (48). First Husky ever named to the WCHA First All-Star Team. His #24 was retired in 2010, and he entered the SCSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2017.
The NHL Grind
Seventeen seasons across five teams — St. Louis, Vancouver, Florida, Carolina, and Anaheim. A reliable left-shot defenseman who played his 1,000th game on November 21, 2008, and reached the Stanley Cup Final three times: 1994 with Vancouver, and 2002 and 2006 with Carolina.
Team USA
A two-time Olympian, Albertville 1992 and Torino 2006, and a three-time World Championship veteran (1997, 1999, 2001).
Herb Brooks made him the only Twin Cities player on the '92 roster.
2006 STANLEY CUP
Bret appeared in all 25 playoff games during the Carolina Hurricanes' historic run. In the deciding Game 7 against Edmonton, he started the sequence - Hedican to Eric Staal to Justin Williams - that produced the clinching empty-net goal. Three trips to the Final.
One Cup. A champion.
VOICE OF THE GAME
15 SEASONS COVERING THE SAN JOSE SHARKS
NBC SPORTS CA
2009–14 · STUDION & INSIDE-THE-GLASS-ANALYST
SAN JOSE SHARKS
2014–24 · TV & RADIO COLOR ANALYST
WESTWOOD ONE
2014 · SOCHI OLYMPICS
NBC / TNT
NATIONAL POSTSEASON COVERAGE
Analyzing the Next Generation
After retiring in September 2009, Bret moved straight into broadcasting. Five seasons as a pre- and post-game analyst for NBC Sports California, then a full decade in the San Jose Sharks booth alongside Dan Rusanowsky, Randy Hahn, and Jamie Baker. He called the 2014 Sochi Olympics for Westwood One and postseason hockey for NBC and TNT.
In July 2024 he took on a new chapter: Player Development Analyst for the AHL's San Diego Gulls, the Anaheim Ducks' affiliate, helping shape the stars of tomorrow.
Bret's HEDi Gear Story
What's your story?
