Owen and Sasha

Ethical Culture School classmates circa 1996.

The Legend of the Red Hammer

Gifted to Owen by Sasha on his 29th Birthday, The Red Hammer symbolizes both protection and bitter rivalry. It was handcrafted, some even say forged out of the tears of the grizzliest of Russian bears, weighted with the precision of a nesting doll, and purposefully designed like the pages of a Dostoevsky novel. 

How did the symbol, the nickname actually come to exist? Like any great legend, it is shrouded in mystery, and the true origin story may never be revealed. The Red Hammer was originally a nickname that Owen gave Sasha (loosely based on the Soviet symbol of the Hammer and Sickle and drawing inspiration from the sports movie, Red Army). It was a moniker born out of the sheer will and determination of two grade school pals to turn anything into a competition. Some say it originated during the epic Pick-EM’ Flick-EM’ duels of the 2016 NHL season. Others say it came from a pick-up basketball game that Owen had money on. What we do know is that it was a culmination of nicknames given to Sasha by Owen since the second grade. It started with Little Man and evolved into The Red Hammer. There were many in between, but that’s for another time…and a glass of whisky.

The power of The Red Hammer is forever with Owen. Like Thor’s Hammer, it acts as his shield and his companion on his journey. Its other-worldly powers can never be spoken of, but on the brightest of days when the birds can be heard chirping miles away, a red dart has been reported to paint the sky…Owen wielding the power of The Red Hammer.