Ex-Red Wing Darren McCarty now working in ‘Hardcore Pawn’

Yahoo! Sports

Thu Sep 15 12:07pm EDT

Ex-Red Wing Darren McCarty now working in ‘Hardcore Pawn’

Ex-Red Wing Darren McCarty now working in ‘Hardcore Pawn’ Seeing ex-Detroit Red Wings forward Darren McCarty (notes) in a pawn shop isn't all that astonishing, given his financial history. It's seeing him behind the register at a pawn shop, that's surprising.

Detroit-based American Jewelry and Loan, made famous by the truTV series "Hardcore Pawn," has hired McCarty. He came to the shop with a friend and now actually works there, apart from the show.

From a press release issued by American Jewelry and Loan:

"Darren came in with a buddy to check out the store awhile back, and I could see his eyes light up as we talked about the business. When he said he was interested in learning more, we took him up on it," said Seth Gold, manager of American Jewelry and Loan. "His thirteen seasons with the Red Wings certainly prove he's a grinder. Darren is a big fan of Detroit and we're big fans of Darren's. We think he'll be an amazing addition to our team."

Says McCarty, "This industry has tons of excitement - the daily dramas of buying and selling, interacting with all the different kinds of people coming in - and I was honestly intrigued at the idea of learning a brand-new challenge. I'm learning from the Stevie Yzermans' of the pawn business. I guess you could call my first few weeks training camp! What better opportunity to start something fresh and to help the people of Detroit, too?"

As we said at the top: McCarty, pawn shop … oh, sweet mother of appropriate post-career employment.

We're talking about someone who filed for bankruptcy as a player and who was accused by the IRS of failing to pay over $62,000 in federal taxes. He battled alcoholism during his career as well. He turned his life around after his playing days, appearing as an analyst on VERSUS last season.

And now he works in a pawn shop. Could you imagine haggling over prices with Darren McCarty? If nothing else, we bet he has a good idea about the going rate on a Stanley Cup ring. Just a guess.