CCM to donate 500,000 surgical masks to front-line healthcare personnel

Sidney Crosby and his fellow CCM endorsees are joining up with the gear manufacturer to donate 500,000 surgical masks to front-line personnel. (Nathan Denette/CP)

CCM Hockey is joining the growing list of hockey equipment manufacturers offering support for front-line personnel battling the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Montreal-based gear maker — alongside many of its star player endorsees — announced Wednesday that they will donate 500,000 surgical masks to front-line personnel. The company is currently “in the process of procuring this protective equipment from its established network of partners that normally collaborate in the production of CCM hockey gear.”

The announcement adds that CCM will arrange for transport of the masks and will coordinate with government authorities to distribute the masks to Canadian healthcare workers “as early as the week of April 27th.”

“By teaming up with our roster of CCM athletes, we will be able to play a role in the collaborative effort to get past this crisis,” CCM Hockey CEO Rick Blackshaw said, via the company’s release.

“We focused on the best use of our network and our resources to have the quickest impact. Sourcing greatly needed equipment through our established supply chain partners in Asia is the most efficient way for us to support and keep our real heroes safe.”

CCM listed a number of their men’s and women’s endorsees who are contributing to the company’s donation:

“Mat Barzal, Patrice Bergeron, Brock Boeser, Dani Cameranesi, Brandon Carlo, Thomas Chabot, Kendall Coyne Schofield, Sidney Crosby, Melodie Daoust, Alex Debrincat, Brianna Decker, Matt Duchene, Matt Dumba, Marc-Andre Fleury, Filip Forsberg, Jake Gardiner, Miro Heiskanen, Filip Hronek, Jonathan Huberdeau, Seth Jones, Nathan Mackinnon, Charlie McAvoy, Connor McDavid, Alex Ovechkin, Artemi Panarin, Carey Price, Vladimir Tarasenko, and John Tavares are eager to support health professionals in communities,” the company’s release stated.

The announcement comes after a number of equipment manufacturers have waded into the fight against the pandemic, with companies like Bauer, Vaughn and New Balance — the parent company of Warrior — shifting focus to manufacture personal protective equipment amid a dire shortage of such items.

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