Bauer Hockey LLC stands as a prominent North American manufacturer of ice hockey equipment, fitness and recreational skates, and apparel. The origins of the Bauer brand of hockey equipment trace back to September 14, 1906, when the Western Shoe Company Limited was established in Kitchener, Ontario.
At an unknown date, Roy Charles Bauer (1895-1989) became president of the company. On May 5, 1934, Bauer formed a new company, the Canada Skate Manufacturing Company Limited, to produce ice skates. By 1934, skate manufacturing was online at the Western Shoe factory at 236 Victoria Street North. According to Roy Bauer, the inspiration for a combined shoe-skate operation came from his wife.
Early Innovations and Market Presence
Bauer was the first hockey company to begin producing hockey skates in which the blade was permanently secured to the boot. The boot and blade were made by Bauer. In the years following, Bauer Skate's top line was originally marketed under the trade name "Bauer Supreme".
From pretty much 1939 through the mid 70's, something like 90% of all players wore CCM Tacks (Tackaberrys'). Bauer, in the teens, 20's & 30's was actually the leader, then re-establishing themselves & again becoming the skate of choice for players with the Tuuk Chassis system some 30yrs after losing top spot to CCM, though throughout they did have a great product, including the Supreme & Black Panther lines. If you had a wide foot, a superior choice over the CCM Tacks. Other less known but also terrific brands included Daoust (D&R), some private label brands made by CCM or Bauer for department stores (Canadian Tire had Playmaker, Eatons who for awhile featured Gordie Howe & Bobby Hull Model skates, along with sticks, gloves etc, as did a few US based department & chain sporting goods stores as well).
Endorsements and TUUK Blade Adoption
In the 1960s & 70's, the company paid superstar Bobby Hull to endorse their skates. As well superstars Bobby Clarke and Bernie Parent of the Flyers, Guy Lafleur of the Canadiens and Walter Tkaczuk and Brad Park of the Rangers were signed to endorsement contracts by Pro Department Manager Bill Vanderburg. Then in the early 1970s, Jim Roberts, also of the Canadiens, began wearing the TUUK blade. High-profile teammates Guy Lafleur, Steve Shutt and Jacques Lemaire soon followed.
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The History Of Hockey Skates | In The Slot
Market Dominance and Acquisitions
By 1995, the various Canstar skate brands (Micron, Bauer, etc.) had a 70% NHL market share while their TUUK and ICM holders combined for a 95% share. Warrington, a consumer products company, had been founded on 29 August 1969 as W.C.G. The company was 30 per cent owned by Cemp Investments, a holding company set up for the children of Samuel Bronfman after his death.
Beginning in December 1978, Warrington went on an acquisitions spree. which manufactured ice skates and roller skates. This was followed in November 1980 by the purchase of Caber Italia S.p.A., which manufactured ski boots. In late 1980, Gamebridge acquired Trappeur Ltée, another ski boot company. Warrington acquired an additional 47 per cent of Gamebridge in January 1981, then in the spring of that year acquired Icaro Olivieri & Cie S.p.A. - a manufacturer of molds, blades, and buckles - which controlled the remaining 3 per cent of Gamebridge.
Effective 14 June 1980, Greb Industries Limited merged into Warrington, making Greb an operating division, and in early 1981 Warrington moved its offices from Kitchener to Montreal.
The Role of Icaro Olivieri
In early July 1988, Icaro Olivieri, past president of Warrington, arranged to purchase the struggling company for $8.9 million. Olivieri hired Gerald B. In 1994, Bauer began producing the perforated TUUK chassis, which is the piece of equipment that connects the steel blade to the actual boot of the skate.
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Nike Acquisition and Rebranding
In 1995, Canstar, the parent company of Bauer, became a wholly owned subsidiary of Nike. On 1 June 1995, Canstar Sports was renamed Nike Bauer Hockey Limited. In 2006, beginning with the release of the Nike Bauer Supreme One90, the company's products were rebranded as Nike Bauer.
Private Equity and Return to Bauer Name
Nike sells Bauer Skates to private equity investor W. Graeme Roustan and Kohlberg & Co. for $200 million on February 21, 2008, and the company was once again known as Bauer. On 18 April 2008, Nike Bauer Hockey Limited was renamed the Bauer Hockey Corp.
Bauer Performance Sports and Bankruptcy
In late 2010, the owners of the Bauer Hockey Corp. formed a parent company called Bauer Performance Sports, incorporated in British Columbia. In January 2011, the company filed a prospectus for an initial public offering with the intention to raise $75 million. The offering was underwritten by a consortium of brokers led by Dominion Securities and Wood Gundy. outright.
In June 2014, Bauer Performance Sports Limited changed its name to the Performance Sports Group Limited. In October 2016, Performance Sports Group filed for bankruptcy. was incorporated to hold Bauer's operations. Then, on 7 February 2017, the old Bauer Hockey Corp. was wound down and the company's operations were incorporated newly in Delaware as Bauer Hockey LLC.
Recent Developments
On August 3, 2021, Bauer acquired ProSharp AB, a skate sharpening company based in Sweden. At the end of 2023, Fairfax's share of Peak Achievement had increased to 43 per cent.
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Inline Skates
Given its substantial position in Canada's hockey skate market, Canstar cautiously sought new avenues for growth in the early 1990s, taking special aim at the burgeoning in-line skate market. Although ice hockey skates remained Canstar's core, accounting for more than one-third of annual sales in the mid-1990s, in-line skates were touted as the key to the company's future.
In-line skates are essentially a hockey-style boot with four roller skate-type wheels mounted in line from toe to heel. Canstar got into the market in the late 1980s. In-line or off-ice skates grew from 2 percent of the firm's annual sales in 1990 to 18 percent by 1993. In 1992, the company became a founding sponsor of the 24-team professional Roller Hockey International League, as well as amateur leagues, in an effort to promote in-line skating.
A 1995 brief in the Chicago Sun Times noted that roller hockey was the fastest-growing segment of the in-line market. The company also hoped to piggyback in-line skate sales on the growing popularity of the NHL, focusing especially on nontraditional skating areas in the southern United States, especially Florida, Texas, and California, where new team franchises were granted in the early 1990s.
Technological Advancements
Bauer Hockey officially launched the BAUER SUPREME TOTALONE Skate, the company's most advanced skate in its 83-year history. The skate debuted during the first day of men's ice hockey competition in Vancouver as several of the game's top players took to the ice in Bauer's most revolutionary skate to date.
"The SUPREME TOTALONE is the result of technological advancements in design, materials and manufacturing," said Keith Duffy, Sr. Product Line Manager, Bauer Hockey. Utilizing a patented manufacturing process, the SUPREME TOTALONE features anatomically correct Alive Composite in the upper and insole to provide the utmost in efficiency and responsiveness - with a weight below 700 grams.
The skate can be heated and customized around the ankle and heel, providing a true 360-degree fit for any foot shape. "We've changed the way skates are made with the SUPREME TOTALONE - the process to build it didn't exist before," said Chris Langevin, Director, Advanced Development, Bauer Hockey.
In addition to the revolutionary manufacturing process and unprecedented fit, the SUPREME TOTALONE also features the Reflex Tongue, the first-ever customizable tongue that allows players to customize the flex and performance of the tongue for the utmost in personalization. The skate comes with three different composite tongue inserts (Mid, Stiff, X-Stiff) that can be interchanged based on player preference.
The SUPREME TOTALONE also features TUUK LS Fusion - Bauer's lightest and most advanced runner in the company's history. The revolutionary runner design fuses the strength and performance of Bauer's elite stainless steel with high-grade aluminum to reduce weight by 27 percent while delivering increased speed and power.
Rounding out the features of the SUPREME TOTALONE skate is Total Edge Comfort, a padded overlay located high on the ankle to alleviate abrasions during the break-in period. The BAUER SUPREME TOTALONE skates will be available at retail locations throughout Canada and the United States on April 15.
Heel Guards
One other interesting aspect of skate development was the mandatory use of skate blade heel guards in 57-58 after Maurice Richard had his achilles tendon cut in a game. Previously, a mettle plug was attached, welded on, but that could still cause damage so they opted for a plastic job that was bigger, rounder & smoother, wouldnt puncture.
Additionally, on the upper rear heel portion of the skate boot itself, an extra 3" or so high by 4" or so wide piece of leather was added to cover the top of the achilles tendon & lower rear calf muscle, resembling todays skates of course, whereas previously the boot was the same height front & back. This added more protection & lateral support, grommets often installed on the top corners to insert laces through that you could used to tie down the lower portion of your shin pad.