Bauer Buys Mission-Itech

Bauuer has just bought up rival Mission-Itech Hockey. All future products will be branded exclusively Bauer Hockey. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, as both companies are private.

Bauer Hockey is a "three to four" times larger organization with a larger infrastructure capable of handling many of Mission-Itech's capabilities, Davis explained in an interview yesterday.

The companies sell complementary products. Bauer is the leader in skates while Mission-Itech is the leader in facemasks, goal equipment and other protective gear, the company said.

Bauer had just under half the global market for hockey gear with between $200 million and $225 million a year in sales before buying Mission-Itech, Bauer spokesperson Steve Jones said in an interview yesterday.

Roustan was born in Sherbrooke, Que., and grew up in Montreal playing hockey from the age of 3, according to his company's website. The company, Roustan Capital, makes investments of up to $300 million. He teamed up with Kohlberg & Co., a U.S.-based private equity firm, to buy Bauer back from Nike earlier this year. (in 2004, Mission Hockey merged with Itech Hockey.)