CCM (ice Hockey) - History

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 for many years in the area of Weston, Toronto, Ontario. 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 leftover 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 Manitoban named George Tackaberry and "Tacks" have been the company's signature skate until late 2006, when the Tacks line was replaced with the "Vector" line, and now the "U+".

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 company entered the toy industry in 1988 through the acquisition of Coleco Industries and in 1990 when they acquired another financially troubled company, Buddy L Corp., a 70-year-old manufacturer of steel and plastic toy cars and trucks based in the United States.

In 1991, the company incorporated and took the name SLM International Inc.

SLM purchased Kevin Sports Toys International Inc. (the maker of the Wayne Gretzky 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 bankruptcy protection, in 1995, selling off Buddy L (to Empire of Carolina Inc.) 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, Canadien, and Heaton. Titan and Canadien were well-known brands of wooden hockey sticks in the 1980s and 1990s. Wayne Gretzky used the Titan 4020 while playing with the Edmonton Oilers. Heaton was known for its goalie equipment, which was worn for years by Martin Brodeur.

In 1999, SLM was renamed The Hockey Company.

In June 2004, The Hockey Company was bought by Reebok. All brands other than the CCM brand were retired and Reebok introduced its own RBK Hockey gear, later to be re-branded as Reebok Hockey.