At Reebok-CCM Hockey, our mission as a hockey equipment manufacturer is to give amateur and professional players the best protection possible while simultaneously improving performance on the ice.
We are fully committed to player safety and invest significantly in research & development to bring innovative technology to market. Our specialized team of engineers, product developers and industrial designers work closely with leading researchers and experts in the medical field to produce the safest products possible across all categories.
As part of our commitment to safety, we have taken several actions to deepen our expertise and relationship with leading experts in the field.
In 2010, we hosted a Safety Summit in collaboration with Dr. Blaine Hoshizaki of the University of Ottawa and Dr. Charles Tator, founder of ThinkFirst Canada. The event involved many professionals, professional hockey leagues and scientists who specialized in the field of hockey safety.
Following this summit, we entered into an exclusive multi-year partnership with the Neurotrauma Impact Science Laboratory at the University of Ottawa, one of the world’s leading head trauma research facilities, to develop and test our helmets before they are put on the market. Through highly advanced laboratory tests and simulations, this joint research and development partnership has allowed us to gain further knowledge on impact management in the sport of hockey. Based on the University of Ottawa’s peer-reviewed and published test protocol, we are able to measure the rotational impact forces for hockey helmets. Among others, the CCM Resistance Helmet was developed using data collected from the University of Ottawa to help better manage hits to the side of the head.
While we welcome any research to help improve the safety of players, we are currently seeking full understanding of the Virginia Tech model. We will need to analyze this protocol in order to understand how it compares with existing standards in the industry. It is, however, important to recognize that the Virginia Tech model is only one of many testing protocols that exist. We presently comply with current industry requirements to have our helmets certified by the The Hockey Equipment Certification Council (HECC) in the United States, CSA in Canada and EN in Europe before they are sold. We stand behind our products based on research and knowledge provided by the University of Ottawa.