Canadien is a Canadian brand of ice hockey equipment owned by Birch Hill Equity Partners through its portfolio company Sport Maska Inc. The Canadien brand was created in 1969 in Drummondville, Quebec and was manufactured originally by the company Les industries du hockey Canadien, Inc. The original company was sold in 1978, and since that time the Canadien brand has gone through numerous ownership changes. Since 1998, it has been part of a consolidated group of six hockey brands that comprises Canadien, CCM, Heaton, Jofa, Koho, and Titan. In 2017, Birch Hill Equity Partners of Toronto acquired the group of brands, which are held by the company Sport Maska. While CCM remains the flagship brand of the group, products made under the Canadien name appear occasionally.
History
In 1969, a group of 15 investors joined to form a hockey stick manufacturing company called Les industries du hockey Canadien, Inc. Among the investors were Montreal Canadiens players Serge Savard, Yvan Cournoyer, and Guy Lapointe. The company established its operations in Drummondville, Quebec, the hometown of Cournoyer. Canadien grew rapidly and by 1976 held 17 per cent of the hockey stick market, the second largest market share after Sher-Wood.