Nike Bauer

Infobox Company
name = Bauer Hockey

type = Private
genre =
foundation = Kitchener, Ontario, 1927
founder =
location_city = Mississauga, Ontario
location_country = Canada
location =
locations =
area_served =
key_people =
industry = sporting goods
products = hockey equipment
services =
revenue =
operating_income =
net_income =
assets =
equity =
owner =
num_employees =
parent =
divisions =
subsid =
slogan =
homepage = http://www.nikebauer.com/
footnotes =
intl =

Bauer Hockey is one of the leading manufacturers of hockey equipment, fitness and recreational skates. The hockey equipment that Bauer produces include: helmets, gloves, sticks, skates, shinguards, pants, shoulder pads, elbow pads, as well as goalie equipment. In 1995, Canstar, the parent company of Bauer became a wholly owned subsidiary of Nike, Inc. In 2006, the release of the Nike Bauer Supreme One90 showed for the first time, the new brand name "Nike Bauer" on the one product. This was also the first time Nike has ever had a joint brand name on a product. The company has since used the Nike Bauer name on all of its hockey-related products.

The company was sold to investors Roustan, Inc. and Kohlberg & Co., on February 21, 2008. The company will once again be known as Bauer Hockey, though Bauer will continue to use the Nike Bauer trademark on existing products for up to two years. [http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=230199&hubname=nhl]

History of Bauer innovation

The owners of Western Shoe Company, the Bauer family, established the Bauer company as it is known today in 1927 in Kitchener, Ontario. Bauer would grow over the years, buying up smaller rivals such as Micron. But in 1994, Nike announced the acquisition of Canstar, the parent company of Bauer. The purchase was completed in February 1995.

Bauer was the first hockey company to begin producing hockey skates in which the blade was attached to the boot. The boot was made by Bauer and the skate blade by the now-defunct Starr Manufacturing Company in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. This new product was then marketed under the trade name "Bauer Supreme".

But the arrival of the legendary George Tackaberry boot, now made by CCM (The Hockey Company) under the Tacks trademark - the Tackaberry name having been acquired by CCM in 1937 - saw a shift in the balance of power to Bauer's rival. The Tackaberry boot with CCM Pro-Lite blade would be worn by all NHL scoring champions from 1939 through 1969.

The Bauer name returned to prominence after the company undertook a pioneering step of paying superstar Bobby Hull to endorse their skates. This move, and the introduction soon after of the TUUK chasis, ushered in a new era for the company.

The current NHL rule banning the use of fancy skates was introduced on September 24, 1927. At the time, this effectively outlawed all skates other than tube skates. The plastic/rubber stopper seen on the heel of later tube skates was developed by CCM in 1960 following an injury to the Montréal Canadiens' Maurice "Rocket" Richard in the 1958-59 season. It was made mandatory by the NHL in 1964.

Then in the early 1970s, Jim Roberts, also of the Canadiens, began wearing the now famous TUUK blade. High-profile teammates Guy Lafleur, Steve Shutt and Jacques Lemaire soon followed. The success of this blade chassis was such that 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. (Note: Bauer no longer offers the ICM holder on player skates although it is still offered with goalie skates, in addition to the TUUK cowling.)

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. This revolutionized the sport of hockey because it allowed skates to be made lighter, as well as more durable. Their current flagship skate is called the Nike Bauer Supreme One95. This new skate boot utilizes a non epoxy-based material that reportedly weighs 35-45% less than its amazingly light predecessor, the Supreme One90 (a skate that only weighed 750 grams in a size 8). Strangely enough though, this low weight was achieved without the use of perforated runners. You can see these new skates on such players as Mike Fisher, Eric Cole and Milan Lucic. MSRP at launch was a staggering $860 U.S., but the average street price is presently ~$650 U.S. before shipping/handling and applicable taxes through most retailers.

On September 25, 2008 Bauer announced the purchase of rival Mission-Itech. [http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/505555]

Name and logo change

Nike Bauer was sold by Nike to Kohlberg & Company and W. Graeme Roustan. The Nike Bauer Supreme One95 stick will be the last product branded with the Nike Bauer Hockey logo, the company will change their name back

References

* [http://www.nikebauer.com/ Nike Bauer Website]