If you live in Toronto, you’ve likely heard of Carlo Colaiacovo. The 14-year veteran of the NHL played a few seasons for the Toronto Maple Leafs, and as a Toronto native, he says it was a dream come true.

But with his playing career behind him, you’re more likely to hear Colaiacovo on the airwaves as the co-host of First Up, the morning show on TSN 1050 radio.

He’s also a massive golfer, and we are excited to announce a limited-edition collaboration with Carlo for a new hat and polo shirt with Waggle Golf.

“I’m excited about it,” said Colaiacovo. “It’s been a year in the making for us trying to come up with a fun theme that relates both with what I like to pride myself in and Waggle Golf, which is a brand that prides itself in unique patterns and animals that create a connection through their apparel.”

Colaiacovo says he fell in love with Waggle Golf’s look, feel, and vibe quickly.

“Ever since I was introduced to them, I fell in love with the material I fell in love with the look, the quality, and even just the design. Everyone in golf is stuck in their old ways when it comes to dressing the part – they’re used to just dressing in solid colours, but this is a chance to express yourself in a fun, expressive way,” he said. “You’re wearing cool patterns, cool colours and I love stuff like that.”

Colaiacovo didn’t play much golf while he was in the NHL but saved room for some casual rounds with friends and a few tournaments. But once his playing career concluded he’s played more often – and, like so many Canadians, he played more in 2020 than ever before.

He comes out to play frequently around the Greater Toronto Area. He even dropped his handicap to single digits for the first time ever last summer.

Given how much golf he’s played, going into our stores and upgrading his game to the latest and greatest has helped him with the constant chase of the perfect shot.

Throughout that time, Colaiacovo has also become quickly known for the adaptation of his exciting radio catch-phrase, ‘BAANG’ (important to note there are two ‘a’s’ included in his iteration!) and the new shirt and hat from Waggle Golf reflect the celebratory attitude of the phrase.

“It’s something I’ve adopted that acts as a celebration of the things we see, the things we do, the things we accomplish. We’re trying to relate the two to the things I do, the things I celebrate, and what ‘BAANG’ and Waggle represent,” said Colaiacovo. “What we love to do is golf. So how did we find something that works for golf?”

The shirt and hat feature a canary bird prominently – when Colaiacovo was thinking about good animals to showcase with golf, birdies and eagles first came to mind, but birdies are for everyone whereas eagles are more for the pros.

“They’re colourful, they’re small, they chirp just like golfers so that was the theme that helped bring us all together,” said Colaiacovo.

The icing on the cake, he said, is that the canary bird is rocking a chain that said ‘BAANG’ on it. This, he said, is how the ‘BAANG’ birdie was developed.

“That’s the fun thing that’s been developed from all this. It’s something I love wearing and I love wearing everything Waggle Golf creates, so this is something that I’ve created on my own now, that attaches my personality to it with the ‘BAANG’ saying,” said Colaiacovo. ““It’s the bird that sings while wearing the bling.”

The Waggle Golf x Carlo Colaiacovo collection is available now exclusively at golftown.com and select doors Mississauga, Woodbridge & Whitby.