ice hockey equipment
In ice hockey, players use specialized equipment both to facilitate the play of the game and for protection as this is a sport where injuries are common, therefore, all players are encouraged to protect their bodies from bruises and severe fractu ...
. CCM (formerly an initialism for Canada Cycle & Motor Co. Ltd.) was held by two separate entities both maintaining the CCM
trademark
A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a type of intellectual property consisting of a recognizable sign, design, or expression that identifies products or services from a particular source and distinguishes them from others ...
, one (Reebok-CCM by
Adidas
Adidas AG (; stylized as adidas since 1949) is a German multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufactur ...
, formerly "The Hockey Company") manufacturing hockey equipment and the other, CCM Bicycles manufacturing
bicycles
A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist.
Bi ...
.
The company is currently owned by Canadian private "Birch Hill Equity Partners", after the Adidas Group sold the brand for around $100 million in 2017.
As of June 2021, the newly appointed CEO by Birch Hill Equity Partners is Marrouane Nabih.https://csga.ca/ccm-hockey-appointments-announcement/ Since then, the company went through major changes and restructuring within the senior management group.
CCM range of products for hockey includes sticks, skates,
helmets
A helmet is a form of protective gear worn to protect the head. More specifically, a helmet complements the skull in protecting the human brain. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets (e.g., a policeman's helmet in the United Kingdom) without protec ...
,
shoulder pad
Shoulder pads are a type of fabric-covered padding used in men's and women's clothing to give the wearer the illusion of having broader and less sloping shoulders. In the beginning, shoulder pads were shaped as a semicircle or small triangle and ...
s,
elbow pad
Elbow pads are protective padded gear worn on the elbows to protect them against injury during a fall or a strike.
Elbow pads are worn by many athletes, especially hockey players, cyclists, roller skaters, skateboarders, volleyball players, sk ...
s,
goaltender mask
A goaltender mask, commonly referred to as a goalie mask, is a mask worn by goaltenders in a variety of sports to protect the head and face from injury from the ball or puck, as they constantly face incoming shots on goal. Some sports requiring th ...
s, goaltender pads, goaltender gloves,
knee pad
Knee pads or kneepads are protective gear worn on knees to protect them against impact injury from falling to the ground or hitting an obstacle, or to provide padding for extended kneeling.
Use Sports
Knee pads are worn in many recreationa ...
s, throat collar and team uniforms for the
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...
.
History
CCM was founded in 1899 after the collapse of the bicycle market. Established "when the operations of four major Canadian bicycle manufacturers amalgamated: H. A. Lozier, Massey-Harris, Goold, and Welland Vale Manufacturing." CCM produced
bicycles
A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist.
Bi ...
for many years in the area of
Weston, Toronto
Weston is a neighbourhood and former village in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The neighbourhood is situated in the northwest of the city, south of Highway 401, east of the Humber River, north of Eglinton Avenue, and west of Jane Street. Weston Roa ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
. They also briefly produced the Russell automobile.
By 1905, with saturation in the bicycle market, CCM began producing hockey skates using scrap steel that was left over at the plant from the manufacture of bicycles and automobiles, and subsequently began manufacturing other hockey gear.
In 1937, CCM acquired the Tackaberry brand made by a
Manitoba
Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...
n named
George Tackaberry George Edwin Tackaberry (May 6, 1874 - November 19, 1937) was a Canadian boot maker remembered today as the inventor of a long-lived brand of ice hockey skate sold by CCM called the CCM "Tack". (CCM "Tacks".)
Early life
Tackaberry apprenticed as a ...
and ''"Tacks"'' remained the company's signature skate until late 2006, when the Tacks line was replaced with the ''"Vector"'' line, then the ''"U+"'' line, and''"RBZ"'' line, now the ''"Jetspeed"'' line. The ''"Tacks"'' line was later reintroduced in 2014.
The original CCM went bankrupt in 1983. All of the assets of the company were purchased by Procycle Group Inc. of Quebec who retained the bicycle division and sold off the hockey division to Montreal businessman David Zunenshine who owned GC Knitting, a manufacturer of hockey jerseys. The company subsequently used the CCM brand when producing hockey equipment.The Hockey Company -- Company History Funding Universe (retrieved 15 September 2010)
The company entered the toy industry in 1988 through the acquisition of
Coleco Industries
Coleco Industries, Inc. was an American company founded in 1932 by Maurice Greenberg as The Connecticut Leather Company. It was a successful toy company in the 1980s, mass-producing versions of Cabbage Patch Kids dolls and its video game console ...
and in 1990 when they acquired another financially troubled company,
Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Douglas Gretzky ( ; born January 26, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999. Nicknamed "the Great One ...
NHL hockey game), Norca Industries Inc. (a plastic toy manufacturer of such products as swimming pools, sleds, and sandboxes), and Innova-Dex Sports Inc. of Montreal (a bicycle helmet manufacturer).
SLM filed for
Chapter 11
Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code (Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, wheth ...
bankruptcy protection, in 1995, selling off Buddy L and the SLM Fitness equipment business. The company emerged from bankruptcy protection in 1997 and reorganized. The company acquired Montreal-based Sports Holdings, Inc, in 1998, and became the world's top producer of hockey merchandise adding the brands Koho, Titan,
Jofa
Jofa, originally short for ''Jonssons Fabriker'' (Jonsson's Factories) is a maker of sporting equipment for sports such as ice hockey, bandy, and horseback riding, based in Malung, Sweden.
History
Niss Oskar Jonsson founded Jofa in 1926. It can b ...
, Canadien and Heaton. Titan and Canadien were well-known brands of wooden hockey sticks in the 1980s and 1990s, with Wayne Gretzky having used the Titan 2020 while playing with the
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...
. Heaton was known for its goaltending equipment, which was used for years by
Martin Brodeur
Martin Pierre Brodeur (; born May 6, 1972) is a Canadian-American former professional ice hockey goaltender and current team executive. He played 22 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL), 21 of them for the New Jersey Devils, with whom ...
as well as many other NHL goaltenders.
In 1999, SLM was renamed The Hockey Company. In June 2004, The Hockey Company was bought by
Reebok
Reebok International Limited () is an American fitness footwear and clothing manufacturer that is a part of Authentic Brands Group. It was established in England in 1958 as a companion company to J.W. Foster and Sons, a sporting goods company ...
. All brands other than the CCM brand were retired and Reebok introduced its own RBK Hockey gear, later to be rebranded as Reebok Hockey. Reebok in turn was acquired by
Adidas
Adidas AG (; stylized as adidas since 1949) is a German multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufactur ...
in 2005.
In the fall of 2013, The Hockey Company created a new goaltending equipment line under the CCM brand name. Beginning in 2015, The Hockey Company began phasing out the Reebok name from their hockey equipment lines, by creating equivalent or similar product lines under the CCM name. CCM is now the only brand name used by the company on its hockey equipment.
In 2017, Adidas sold CCM to a Canadian private equity firm, Birch Hill Equity Partners, for around $100 million.Adidas laces up $100M hockey brand sale by Josh Kosman, 20 July 2017 In 2018 CCM hired a new CEO, Rick Blackshaw. Blackshaw told the media that "We have some nice momentum. We're seeking to make investment in product and product innovation and the brand.
As of June 2021, the newly appointed CEO by Birch Hill Equity Partners is Marrouane Nabih.
Products and marketing
CCM manufactures a wide range of ice hockey equipment at all price points, from recreational to professional. One major rival is
Bauer Hockey
Bauer Hockey LLC (renamed Nike Bauer from 2005 to 2008) is a manufacturer of ice hockey equipment, fitness and recreational skates and apparel. Bauer produces helmets, gloves, sticks, skates, shin guards, pants, shoulder pads, elbow pads, hockey ...
. CCM is one of the official
licensees
A licensee can mean the holder of a license or, in U.S. tort law, a licensee is a person who is on the property of another, despite the fact that the property is not open to the general public, because the owner of the property has allowed the li ...
, sponsors, and on-ice suppliers of hockey equipment for the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
(NHL) until 2014. CCM has changed its logo multiple times but use all three.
NHL player George Parsons was forced to retire due to a career-ending eye injury in 1939. He then became involved with CCM hockey, helping to develop helmets and facial protection which would be safer for players. By early 1976, CCM had developed a hockey helmet complete with eye and face shield and lower face protector that was both approved by the
Canadian Standards Association
The CSA Group (formerly the Canadian Standards Association; CSA) is a standards organization which develops standards in 57 areas. CSA publishes standards in print and electronic form, and provides training and advisory services. CSA is composed ...
and endorsed by the
Canadian Amateur Hockey Association
The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA; french: Association canadienne de hockey amateur) was the national governing body of amateur ice hockey in Canada from 1914 until 1994, when it merged with Hockey Canada. Its jurisdiction include ...
.
Main endorsers of CCM players gear include
Sidney Crosby
Sidney Patrick Crosby (born August 7, 1987) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nicknamed "Sid the Kid" and dubbed " The Next One", he was selected first o ...
,
Alex Ovechkin
Alexander Mikhailovich Ovechkin ( rus, Александр Михайлович Овечкин, p=ɐlʲɪˈksandr ɐˈvʲetɕkʲɪn; born 17 September 1985) is a Russian professional ice hockey left winger and captain of the Washington Capital ...
,
Patrice Bergeron
Patrice Bergeron-Cleary (born July 24, 1985) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and captain of the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). Bergeron played junior hockey with the Acadie–Bathurst Titan of the Quebec Major Ju ...
,
Nathan MacKinnon
Nathan Raymond MacKinnon (born September 1, 1995) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and alternate captain for the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL). MacKinnon was selected first overall by the Avalanche in the 201 ...
and,
Connor McDavid
Connor Andrew McDavid (born January 13, 1997) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and captain of the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Oilers selected him first overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.
McDavid spen ...
.
In recent decades, CCM has been one of the most used goalie pads in the NHL. This popularity was in large part due to CCM's partnership with Quebec-based goalie equipment company EGB, owned by the Lefebvre family (name stylized as Lefevre on products and marketing materials). Some notable goalies that used CCM were Marc-Andre Fleury and
Carey Price
Carey Price (born August 16, 1987) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is considered to be one of the best goaltenders in the world by many colleagues, fans, ''The ...
. During 2020 CCM and Lefebvre decided to end their partnership and today CCM offers the Extreme Flex, Axis, and the youth YT Flex goalie products.“CCM Goalie Series” ''CCM Hockey''
See also
*
CCM (bicycle company)
CCM is a Canadian bicycle manufacturer based in Montreal, Quebec.
"CCM" was originally an initialism for Canada Cycle & Motor Co. Ltd. However, the company would eventually split into two separate entities both maintaining the CCM trademark, o ...
*
Reebok
Reebok International Limited () is an American fitness footwear and clothing manufacturer that is a part of Authentic Brands Group. It was established in England in 1958 as a companion company to J.W. Foster and Sons, a sporting goods company ...