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True Hockey To Be A Goalie Company - Rumor (?)


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I'v not contacted my friends that currently work in hockey, I'v been reading a lot of things online with Lefebvre's departure from CCM along with True now releasing a player helmet.

So, anyone out there with any intel? There an once of truth(da dum chhh) on True throwing their hat into the ring? Will we see a 6th big name on our goalie pads? The biggest question I have is if they decide to give it a go, can they sustain it? And aside from that, is there even room for another player? My inner goalie wanted to say yes but then I think about how hockey is slowly shrinking in Canada and all the goalie brand tombstones we've seen in the last 10 or so years.

Then again, is this all just rumor and innuendo at this point?

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I mean, what new design for gear will set them apart? Right now we're in a Bauer led gear world as far as I can tell. CCM is now making a Supreme style pad. Brian's was ahead of the curve with their strapping and all. But all pads have similar strapping now too. Brian's gear is rad still. Vaughn is still doing Vaughn gear but they too have added a Supreme style pad. Warrior - sure they make gear too that is pretty much the same...

True now? Why?

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Here's what I have heard...

True was a potential landing spot for Lefebvre. However, last I heard was that it fell apart. Maybe that is true or maybe it's a blackout period until they can announce a partnership on 1/1 or sometime in 2020?

I believe that True will expand into gear 1 way or the other. Maybe in 2021 and we would see gear leaking next summer or fall?

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2 minutes ago, TheGoalNet said:

Here's what I have heard...

True was a potential landing spot for Lefebvre. However, last I heard was that it fell apart. Maybe that is true or maybe it's a blackout period until they can announce a partnership on 1/1 or sometime in 2020?

I believe that True will expand into gear 1 way or the other. Maybe in 2021 and we would see gear leaking next summer or fall?

I was about to say True would be a great landing partner for JRZ or Lefebvre. True already has an established go to market strategy. From Lefebvre's point of view, why invest in trying to start your own distribution agreements when True's already done the hard work for you?

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But everything that is fresh now is basically made in China gear.

JRZ and Leferve are amazing.. but who is going to buy it? Beer league guys? Anyone under the age of 30 has no idea who they really are other than sometimes there's a tag on their gear that mentions them....maybe... too busy looking at instagram

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How long before True farms out the skate production to China? Essentially True’s only North American product are skates, and it is only a matter of time before those are farmed out to China.

It would be interesting to see if the bespoke part of Lefevre is kept separate like it is now and the stuff we buy is still farmed out. There are several factories that did not get any sporting goods contracts after companies like TPS left the industry (there is one pair of player gloves produced with the same design, now made with  cheaper materials for Tron) that could take up the cause for goalie gear. Note that I still think Scot Van Horn (the “VH”) is still producing speed skates under his VH brand. 
 

I would hope Lefevre stays independent like they have with CCM.

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42 minutes ago, bunnyman666 said:

How long before True farms out the skate production to China? Essentially True’s only North American product are skates, and it is only a matter of time before those are farmed out to China.

It would be interesting to see if the bespoke part of Lefevre is kept separate like it is now and the stuff we buy is still farmed out. There are several factories that did not get any sporting goods contracts after companies like TPS left the industry (there is one pair of player gloves produced with the same design, now made with  cheaper materials for Tron) that could take up the cause for goalie gear. Note that I still think Scot Van Horn (the “VH”) is still producing speed skates under his VH brand. 
 

I would hope Lefevre stays independent like they have with CCM.

If True made a big push into retail skates, I could see them going overseas. But remember that even Bauer does their custom skates in Canada, so it's not unreasonable to think True would stay in NA for their custom products.

I also have a minor gripe with painting all products made overseas as bad. That's a really broad brush. I've been very pleased with my Thailand gear from Bauer. Obviously I would rather buy domestically if I can to support small business, but there really aren't many manufacturers in the US, so it's all going abroad anyways. As long as the quality is good, I really don't care where it's made.

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15 minutes ago, goalieThreeOne said:

I also have a minor gripe with painting all products made overseas as bad. That's a really broad brush. I've been very pleased with my Thailand gear from Bauer. Obviously I would rather buy domestically if I can to support small business, but there really aren't many manufacturers in the US, so it's all going abroad anyways. As long as the quality is good, I really don't care where it's made.

A lot of the overseas manufacturing gripes are due in part when the production was initially send abroad and the quality wasn't great.

Not even close to the case anymore, but I can understand that initial impressions can be hard to shake. ;)

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13 minutes ago, goalieThreeOne said:

If True made a big push into retail skates, I could see them going overseas. But remember that even Bauer does their custom skates in Canada, so it's not unreasonable to think True would stay in NA for their custom products.

I also have a minor gripe with painting all products made overseas as bad. That's a really broad brush. I've been very pleased with my Thailand gear from Bauer. Obviously I would rather buy domestically if I can to support small business, but there really aren't many manufacturers in the US, so it's all going abroad anyways. As long as the quality is good, I really don't care where it's made.

I don’t have a problem with Asian made gear if it is cheap and of decent quality. Regulations are lax and labour is cheaper; therefore it had better be cheaper for me, the end user. Exception is Japan, where quality and labour costs are on par with North America. 

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3 minutes ago, IPv6Freely said:

I hear chinese people also know how to use sewing machines.

But yes, the problem is QC more than anything else, especially when the workers are paid by the piece. 

Vietnamese actually do very, very well with sewing machines.  Some of the best textiles are made there.

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I - like @bunnyman666 - have no problem with gear being made in China if it keeps costs down and quality control are good. Realistically though the only 'pro' gear made in China I believe is Bauer, and warrior if we include pro gear not worn in the NHL. 

My biggest gripe with Asian made gear is  CCM. The e-flex 4 built by Lefebvre is MUCH different than the 'pro' offering to us. To me if your going to outsource your gear and label it pro it should be made the same throughout. I would be interested in True if they did get Lefebvre and it was made at his Canadian factory. 

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1 hour ago, JDiv said:

I - like @bunnyman666 - have no problem with gear being made in China if it keeps costs down and quality control are good. Realistically though the only 'pro' gear made in China I believe is Bauer, and warrior if we include pro gear not worn in the NHL. 

My biggest gripe with Asian made gear is  CCM. The e-flex 4 built by Lefebvre is MUCH different than the 'pro' offering to us. To me if your going to outsource your gear and label it pro it should be made the same throughout. I would be interested in True if they did get Lefebvre and it was made at his Canadian factory. 

It’s kind of where Vaughn came from when calling their MIA senior line “pro” and their North American line “pro carbon”, besides the “carbon” part LOL. Though I have to say that as far as MIA stuff goes, the Warrior Pro is impressive, but the Senior is a downright steal from the standpoint of using yesterday’s pro tech internals with the same skin from the corresponding pro piece.  

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Asian quality isn't the issue. It's that JRZ and Leferve aren't Asian companies.

Sure they can design it and all in NA - but that's not much to sell people on. 

Furthermore - how much different will their design really be? Seems like it's not a real good market to enter right now. But I build highways, what do I know?

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9 minutes ago, MTH said:

Asian quality isn't the issue. It's that JRZ and Leferve aren't Asian companies.

Sure they can design it and all in NA - but that's not much to sell people on. 

Furthermore - how much different will their design really be? Seems like it's not a real good market to enter right now. But I build highways, what do I know?

In twenty years, pads have made a quantum leap forward, after nearly fifty years or more of pads being relatively the same. Only the shape of pads loosely resembles what pads were back in 1915. 

Competition is tight in the goalie biz. There isn’t much else to innovate right now, frankly; pads could end up having a template if scoring starts to decline again. 

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23 hours ago, bunnyman666 said:

Competition is tight in the goalie biz. There isn’t much else to innovate right now, frankly; pads could end up having a template if scoring starts to decline again. 

NASCAR style. Template and weight minimums.

'Pads of Tomorrow'

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4 hours ago, MTH said:

Imagine the cost. Looking at like 3 cows of leather. 100 yards of string. And about 500 hours of labor to build it.

I thought maybe Glenn Miller made one too. Old GSBB days...

Well, now that Plows are providing the hides, it is slightly cheaper; yes it would still be expensive!

Jofa was first with this type of contraption.

Edit: actually, it is those Impossible Cows that become Impossible Whoppers that provide the hides, @MTH

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