Detroit Hockey Great Darren McCarty Joins New Team, "Hardcore Pawn's" American Jewelry and Loan

DETROIT, Sept. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- A force in leading the Detroit Red Wings to four Stanley Cup championships, NHL great Darren McCarty has taken off the gloves, again, to bring his hard-fisted negotiating skills to a new rink, American Jewelry and Loan, the store featured on truTV's biggest hit series "Hardcore Pawn" (Tuesdays, 9:00 p.m. ET/PT).  McCarty joins the Gold family as American Jewelry and Loan's newest employee as he learns all the right moves, and maybe occasionally crashes the boards, of Hockeytown's competitive pawn business.

"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?"

"Hardcore Pawn," currently in its fourth season, takes viewers behind the scenes of the immense American Jewelry and Loan, a family business owned by third-generation pawnbroker Les Gold. Working with Les are his son Seth, who is being groomed to eventually take over the store, and daughter Ashley, who recently returned after a bitter sibling rivalry led her to quit temporarily. 

"Hardcore Pawn" is rated TV-PG-L.  The series debuted in August 2010 with truTV's biggest series launch ever and quickly became one of the network's most popular shows. "Hardcore Pawn" hit an all-time series high in September 2011, delivering a remarkable 2.5 million viewers. The constantly growing series, which also scored personal bests among young adult demos, drove truTV to its best Tuesday night ever among viewers and key adults, with Top 5 rankings among adults 18-49 and men 18-49.

"Hardcore Pawn" is executive-produced by Natalka Znak, Claire O'Donohoe, Mike Gamson, Richard Dominick, and Les and Seth Gold.  For truTV, Robyn Hutt and Anthony Horn serve as executives in charge of production.

SOURCE American Jewelry and Loan