Sher-Wood is a Canadian brand of ice hockey equipment owned by the Canadian Tire Corporation through its subsidiary INA International Ltd. The brand was created by Léo Paul Drolet (1919–2001) in 1949, and was manufactured originally by his company The Sherbrooke Woodcraft Limited, which in 1969 was renamed the Sherwood-Drolet Corp. Ltd.
Sher-Wood also produced equipment under the Chimo brand name from 1977 to 1986.[1][2] Since 2008, it has been the official supplier of game pucks to the NHL, taking over those duties upon its purchase of InGlasCo, which had served in that capacity prior to its purchase by Sher-Wood.[3][4]
Sher-Wood's line of hockey products include sticks, protective elements (shoulder pads, shin guards, gloves, jockstraps). The company also produces a clothing line that includes compression garment, t-shirts, hoodies, jackets, caps, socks, and accessories (bags).
History
Sherwood-Drolet Corp. Ltd., 1949–2008
The Sher-Wood brand of hockey stick originated in the business Sherbrooke Woodcraft, which was founded in 1949 by Léo Drolet. In 1961, Drolet formed the Sher-Wood Hockey Sticks Corp. Ltd. Then, in 1969, Drolet merged Sherbrooke Woodcraft and Sher-Wood Hockey to form the Sherwood-Drolet Corp. Ltd. The company was later purchased by Figgie International Inc. of Cleveland.
In 1991, Léo was replaced as president by his son Denis S. Drolet (1951–2023).[5] Control of Sherwood-Drolet returned to Canada in late 1994 when Figgie sold the Sherwood-Drolet Corp. to the Drolet Group Inc., a Quebec corporation whose principal shareholder was Denis Drolet.[6]
Sher-Wood Hockey Inc./Sherwood Athletics Group Inc., 2008–2018
In 2008, Sherwood-Drolet filed for bankruptcy. Its assets were purchased by Carpe Diem Growth Capital, which renamed the business Sher-Wood Hockey Inc.[7] In 2011, Sher-Wood moved the bulk of its production from Sherbrooke to Asia.[8]
In September 2014, the Gracious Living Corporation, a furniture manufacturing company in Vaughan, Ontario, purchased the assets of Sher-Wood Hockey. It reorganised the business into a new company called the Sherwood Athletics Group Inc., which had two divisions: a manufacturing arm called Sher-Wood Hockey (GL) Inc. and a marketing arm called Sher-Wood Sports Licencing Inc.
Sherwood brand, 2018–
In February 2018, the Canadian Tire Corporation purchased the Sherwood trademark from the Sherwood Athletics Group. The purchase was executed by INA International Ltd., a subsidiary of FGL Sports (formerly the Forzani Group Limited), which is itself a subsidiary of Canadian Tire.[9] The acquisition of the Sherwood brand added to Canadian Tire's group of hockey brands, which includes Hespeler and Victoriaville.
