A MAN OF THE PEOPLE
BAUER’S LATEST HOCKEY equipment technology is mind-bogglingly impressive. Every piece of the top-end skates is customizable, and the newest composite stick is comprised of the same kind of materials lining the racing boats at the America’s Cup.
But if there’s one image that doesn’t represent the masses, the beer leaguers, it’s a racing yacht. And Bauer’s new czar understands that.
Paul Desmarais III took over the company in the summer of 2016. He’s the chairman of Peak Achievement Athletics, the sports juggernaut that owns Bauer. Desmarais understands Bauer’s huge commitment to innovation. Its research and development facility employs 82 people and is the size of six hockey rinks, he says. But what excites Desmarais most these days isn’t the cutting-edge stuff. His primary vision when he took over was to make the game more accessible to entry-level players. “The amount of work that goes into creating the top-of-the-line skate is incredible, but what’s fantastic is we also do a ton of work in creating the bottom-of-the-line skates,” he said. “It’s continuously figuring out, ‘How do we make hockey affordable?’ Bring down the cost of the skate. You can today buy starter kits at Canadian Tire for around $100. And that makes it more affordable for everyone to play.”