Easton Hockey is a manufacturer of hockey equipment whose headquarters and main production facility are in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. While they make some items in smaller facilities around the world, most of their gear is designed and manufactured in Canada, especially the headliners which are their famous face masks. They also have an office in the US which handles distribution and sales.
The company first came to my attention last year when I read an article about them in a popular US e-commerce journal. The article discussed how their business had boomed since being featured in a CBC documentary called The Hockey Sweater in 2019, which showed how Canada’s national sport has evolved into a lifestyle choice. According to the article:
“The documentary explores the cultural significance of Canada’s national pastime, how it became such a lifestyle choice, and the corporate and fan embrace that the sport continues to enjoy in modern-day Canada.”
I remembered reading about this company when I saw an advertisement for their products in a weekly newspaper. One of their adverts featured a group of teenagers in a hockey-themed party scene, surrounded by friends and family, all enthusiastically participating in a game of pickup hockey.
It’s pretty clear that hockey is a huge part of Canadian culture. In the next few years, we’re going to see a lot more companies marketing towards the 20-something crowd, who are usually the customers their products are aimed at. And for good reason. According to Experian, there are currently 13.9 million millennials living in Canada. That’s more than any other country in the world. We like to party, especially when it comes to sports. And what’s more Canadian than partying in the winter?
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Who Are The Major Hockey Equipment Manufacturers?
For decades, Easton has been a major player in the hockey world. In fact, they were around before most people had even heard of the game! Back in 1923, they started as a bicycle company and expanded into hockey equipment soon after.
The original Easton hockey stick was called the “singing bird” due to the sound it made when players performed lunges while whacking it around. You’ll often see that iconic “singing bird” shape on merchandise from this company. Since then, they’ve been at the forefront of creating innovative, high-quality gear.
Other major manufacturers include Wilson, Bauer, and CCM. Each of these companies has had a hand in shaping the game we know and love today. It’s important to note that not all of their gear is created equal, however. While all of it is incredible, not all of it is made the same. We’ll discuss the differences below.
Easton Vs. Other Manufacturers
There are a few significant differences between Easton and the other major manufacturers. First, the logo on their hats, t-shirts, and stickers are all unique and eye-catching. There’s also their stance on climate change, which I’ll get to in a bit. Last, but not least, is the design of their ice hockey helmets. These are some pretty sweet-looking helmets!
Take a quick trip to Pinterest and you’ll see that most of the popular image boards are filled with hockey-related content. If you search for images of hockey gear, you’ll see that all of them are branded, with a logo of some kind on it. And that’s because, as I mentioned above, these companies have been at the forefront of designing gear for years.
There are some significant differences between Easton and Bauer, the second-largest hockey equipment manufacturer, however. First off, their logo is a bit simpler. And, although it’s not easy to notice, the yellow portion of their logo is slightly smaller than the blue. It’s a subtle difference, but it makes all the difference in the world.
You’ll also notice that their logos are less vibrant than those of their famous rivals. But even more importantly, their gear looks a lot more classic. It’s simple and, dare I say, a bit boring. It’s sleek, simple, and clean, which is why their fans love it so much. They want gear that looks good and doesn’t attract a massive amount of attention. It just does what it’s supposed to do, and does it well. It’s as simple and effective as that.
The Biggest Differences Between The 3 Major Equipment Manufacturers
Let’s examine the differences between the major companies, starting with the smallest, which is also the most innovative.
- Wilson
- Bauer
- Easton
- Size
- Shape
- Weight
- Colour
- Wilson
- Bauer
- Easton
- Comfort
- Protection
- Style
The first thing you’ll notice about Wilson is that, although their logo is eye-catching, it’s also the least detailed out of the 3 major manufacturers. The company was originally formed in 1881 and, since then, has been manufacturing all kinds of sporting goods, from golf clubs to tennis rackets. One of their most important contributions to hockey, however, was the pneumatic wheel. Thanks to them, modern-day ice hockey, and the NHL for that matter, are able to exist. While other companies were making metal blades and hardwood handles, Wilson made the first truly hybrid hockey stick. It was at the forefront of design and using modern materials, like metal and plastic, which allowed players to perform at their best.
The logo on their helmets is bold and eye-catching, but it looks more like it was designed by a child than an adult. Even worse, it doesn’t look like it was designed with any particular sport in mind. And that’s a big problem because the logo, although it does look cool, is completely uneffective.
Bauer is a German company that was first founded in 1874 and has been supplying everything from fishing equipment to skis and winter clothing for more than a century now. One of their biggest contributions to sports was in the field of cycling, where, in 1896, they designed the first clipless bike pedal, which allowed riders to perform optimally while maintaining their foot on the ground.
This innovation made them very successful and, since then, they’ve continued to improve their equipment and, most notably, design new and better accessories for hockey players. There’s also a version of their logo for fans which shows a stylized ‘B’ in the shape of a bike. Like Wilson, the logo is unadorned and simple, but it’s a strong and effective design nonetheless. The company’s tagline is “The Strength Of Being Few” and, as a result, their gear is designed to be as lightweight as possible while still providing optimal protection and performance.
It is well known among hockey fans that Easton is the “Yankee” of the hockey world. They were one of the first companies to mass-produce gear for both sexes, which made them extremely popular among both genders. Back in 1926, they were even the first company to create a hockey specific parka. Today, their main production facility is based in the US, but they have offices in both Canada and the UK, which help them to service all their customers around the world.
Easton was also one of the first companies to embrace the ‘hydrodynamic’ skating style which, as the name would suggest, is all about using the water to your advantage. In an effort to make everyone look the same, all of the gear for a while had a unibrow and rounded helmets, but that all changed with the ‘70s.
They started making their own line of helmets in the ‘70s and, since then, have continued to innovate. It was at this point that rounded corners and smooth, even surfaces started becoming popular. It was also around this time that most players started choosing black as their preferred color, which has since become their ‘classic’ color. This attention to detail is what makes Easton’s gear so special. The company also uses a full-face mask instead of a half-face one, which offers better protection.