Graeme Roustan, who acquired Bauer from Nike in 1988, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire True Hockey, the manufacturer of hockey equipment, from True Temper Sports, Inc.
Terms were not disclosed.
The acquisition also includes intellectual property and assets for True Hockey, True Lacrosse and True Baseball.
Roustan is the executive chairman of Roustan Sports, which includes Roustan Hockey, McKenney Hockey, McKenney Lacrosse, Grey Owl Paddles, and the STIX.com portal.
According to Roustan’s media release, “True Hockey has the leading market share position in both custom skates and custom goalie gear.”
“It is an honor and a privilege to be able to acquire the most exciting entrepreneurial brand in the game”, said Roustan, who is also chairman of Roustan Capital. “Just as I helped drive Bauer to the number one brand in the industry, my goal is to repeat that once again with True.”
“The sale of True Hockey to W. Graeme Roustan marks an exciting new chapter for our brand and our customers,” said Dave McNally, vice president, Sales and Marketing, True Hockey. “Our commitment to innovation and raising the bar on performance has never been stronger. With the support and deep industry experience of Graeme and his team, True is poised for its next phase of rapid growth.”
As part of the transaction, True Hockey’s global operations will be transferred to Roustan, including the Lefebvre family’s goalie factory in Terrebonne, Quebec; the Scott Van Horne skate factory in Winnipeg, Manitoba; and the European Union headquarters in Gothenburg, Sweden.
“My family and I are very excited to continue to build on our passion for designing and manufacturing world-class goalie product,” said Pat Lefebvre, general manager and director of Innovation/Goalie, True Hockey. “True has built an incredible team, and we look forward to continuing to build our momentum in the goalie category with the support of Graeme and his company.”
“Building and innovating the skate category has been my passion for 25 years. I look forward to continuing my life’s work in this exciting new phase for True Hockey,” said Scott Van Horne, VP of Innovation/Skate, True Hockey. “Graeme is the perfect owner for our business at this critical stage in our growth. I could not be more excited about the future.”
Roustan added, “To be able to work alongside members of the Lefebvre family, who I believe are by far the most recognized family in the history of the development of goalie equipment, and Scott Van Horne, the global leader in the design of skates, is a scenario that I could have only dreamed about when I was chairman of Bauer. Now the dream has come true.”
The business will operate as True Sports and relocate its headquarters to a 130,000-square-foot facility in Brantford, Ontario, which has housed Roustan Sports since 2019.
The transaction is expected to close within 60 days and is subject to customary closing conditions, including receipt of all necessary regulatory clearances.
Image courtesy True Hockey/True Temper Sports
