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AUGUST 2020 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM // 31 HROUGH TWO WORLD WARS, a great depression and now a global pandemic, CCM, one of the oldest and most trusted names in the world of hockey protective equipment, has a proud history of stepping up in times of crisis. With 120 years under its belt, there isn't much the Montreal- based company hasn't seen, and survived. So when the Canadian government ordered all factories and offices to close due to the coronavirus pandemic, the company did what it does best. It changed on the fly and stepped up to help in a big way. "We were all sitting at home and watching the news. What we were seeing on a regular basis was that people working in a hospital environment didn't have the protective gear they needed," recalled Jeff Dalzell, CCM's vice president of product creation. "As an innovative team, my group consists of a massive collection of designers, engineers, pattern makers, including assembly line work- ers. So, we started thinking, 'Geez, these guys are lacking protective gear. We're masters of protective gear on the hockey space and we have a factory.' So we asked, how do we help?" It was a question being asked by numerous hockey companies that quickly began to step up to help those working on the frontlines during this global pandemic. Within two weeks of receiving approval to make PPE, CCM's factory at Saint-Jean sur- Richelieu had more than 25,000 protective face visors and 850 protective hoods rolling off the assembly line and into the grateful hands of Canadian medical workers. E l s e w h e r e , a t t h e B a u e r I n n o v a t i o n Center in Blainville, Quebec, and the Cascade Lacrosse facility in Liverpool, N.Y., produc- t i o n l i n e s w e r e h u m m i n g a l o n g m a k i n g their own brand of protective face masks that have been worn by doctors, nurses and others working in Covid-19 hotspots like Massachusetts General Hospital and Yale New Haven Hospital. " When Covid-19 hit, we shifted almost instantaneously to make protective equip- ment for medical professionals on the front lines, creating the design and tooling and identifying suppliers and regulatory guide- lines," said Dan Sills, executive vice president for Bauer Hockey. "We had the resources and in-house exper- tise to prioritize this initiative and ultimately produced over two million medical-grade shields, distributing these directly to doctors and nurses risking their lives every day to care for our families, friends, and neighbors battling Covid-19. Our entire Bauer team is so proud to have played a role in helping the global community during this unprecedented time of need." But Bauer didn't stop there. According to Mary-Kay Messier, vice president of global marketing for Bauer Hockey, the company also shared its design plans to encourage other manufacturers to begin producing more shields to keep up with the demand. "This Bauer face shield initiative was not- for-profit, and we are continuing to provide these to organizations in need so long as there is a need for face shields and other medical protective equipment," Messier said. "The outpouring of support has been tre- mendous. Nurses, doctors and so many others have reached out to express their gratitude and have posted on social media pictures of themselves wearing their shields at hospitals and facilities around the world." In the battle for the loyalty of hockey players around the world, Bauer and CCM are as fierce competitors as any on-ice rivals. But when it comes to outfitting medical professionals and first responders with personal protective equipment, these two companies led the charge to provide frontline workers with the vital equipment needed to save lives. CCM also began sharing its designs with any company eager to join in the fight. That spirit of giving back is also found in some of the biggest names in the game. In addition to creating their own brand of PPE, CCM teamed up with some of them to donate more than 500,000 surgical masks to hospitals in need of supplies. "I'll be honest with you, the Sid Crosbys and Alex Ovechkins of the world, they were all reaching out to ask how can they help?" Dalzell said. "To me this is where you're start- ing to go beyond sport. This is the character of the people who are in hockey to say they were all wanting to lend a hand in one way, shape or form, and how do we work together to do so." Bauer athletes were also quick to contribute PHOTOS COURTESY OF Bauer; CCM T VIDEO: Hospital workers in western New York cheer on Jack Eichel for his generosity.