N.B. hockey player takes a shot at making it in the fashion world

A former professional hockey player from Rexton, N.B. is now taking a shot at making it in the fashion world.

The longtime defenceman, who once played for the Halifax Mooseheads and was drafted by the NHL, has launched a line of casual wear that reflects his love of his hometown.

Like so many good ol’ Canadian boys, Sawyer Hannay spent most of his youth strapped into a pair a skates chasing an NHL dream

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“I was essentially so close to the dream that I could taste it,” he told Global News.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I was essentially so close to the dream that I could taste it," he told Global News.

Sawyer spent three years playing in the QMJHL for the Halifax Mooseheads and was drafted by Vancouver Canucks in 2010.

But the small town New Brunswick boy who grew up in Rexton fell short of making the cut.

Despite the disappointment, he said it still felt like a win.

“The lessons and things that I took from that, I felt that I did accomplish my goals. I feel like I have gained so much out of it. It was certainly not a loss,” he said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "The lessons and things that I took from that, I felt that I did accomplish my goals. I feel like I have gained so much out of it. It was certainly not a loss," he said.

He said the adversity he faced in sport has given him the courage try his hand at starting a business.

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After playing professional hockey in Europe and the United States, Hannay has moved back to his roots in rural Rexton.

Hannay started dabbling in developing his own fashion line called Country Liberty in 2015.  But he started marketing the line on a grander scale about a year and a half ago.

Country Liberty is meant to represent the carefree rural lifestyle of Kent County.

His logo consists of an upside down guitar pick inspired by a Waylon Jennings T-shirt, with a campfire at the base. He said it is the perfect symbol for life out in the country.

“Campfire is the social symbol because as a kid, even growing up as a teen, when we would socialize, it would often be around a campfire,” he said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Campfire is the social symbol because as a kid, even growing up as a teen, when we would socialize, it would often be around a campfire," he said.

His product is flying off the shelves in Rexton, where the locals have a special connection to the brand.

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His brand is also growing in popularity across Canada, since so many New Brunswickers are scattered across the country.

Now 25 and past his prime on the ice, Hannay says his dreams have changed.

He may not be able to represent the community he loves on the ice, but he can still do it in style.