WHERE DID TRUE HOCKEY COME FROM
Gone are the days of the Easton, TPS, and Reebok, among many others. Today while watching your favourite team (or shopping for a stick) you will notice that Bauer and CCM dominate. Then you will notice Warrior and a new guy....a True. Where did True come from and how have they managed to become a part of the hockey stick conversation?
Most people will say it's because they have one of the most dynamic players in the world using a True in Mitch Marner, as well as many other top tier NHL'ers, and I would agree. However, while True appears to be a new player in this market-space their company is in fact quite the opposite. For over 100 years, True Temper has been making high performance sporting goods. They have produced over 1 billion golf shafts, 2 million hockey sticks, and many other products throughout the lacrosse, baseball, paddle, and cycling markets.
True is unique in that it has over 1000 employees worldwide, its own factories, and they design, engineer, and produce their own product from start to finish.
SO WHY ARE WE JUST HEARING ABOUT THEM?
True Temper used to create products for other brands. In fact many of the golf and hockey innovations over the last number of years can be traced back to the work of innovators working for True Temper (as they like to say, "That's True").
It wasn't until a few years ago that True decided to make a "hockey brand." They decided to end contracts with competing companies and try it for themselves.
MY FIRST TRUE TEMPER EXPERIENCE
In 2014-2015 I was involved in a project where we reviewed and evaluated a variety of composite stick manufacturers. This included everything from engineers evaluating the quality of the manufactured parts to pro players on ice testing. We considered performance, durability, and feel, and the True Temper sticks came out on top. Shortly afterwards True Hockey was born and I have always had good things to say about their sticks.
THE "TRUE ONE-PIECE"
Most people don't know this but the majority of composite sticks are made using either spear or two-piece construction. When True came to the market, their top end sticks were made in one mould, producing a "True One-Piece" that felt incredible and performed.
VH and TRUE
At the same time that True began offering their sticks, an innovative custom skate manufacturer in Winnipeg Manitoba named Scott Van Horne was creating VH skates. The NHL began filling up with VH skates and True took notice. In 2017 True was not only successful in acquiring VH skates but the brilliance behind them. They now had a "True" (pun intended) world class skate and stick which is the cornerstone of building a hockey brand that can compete in North America.
HOCKEYSTICKMAN and TRUE
HockeyStickMan has worked hard to acquire thousands of pro stock True hockey sticks over the last few seasons. As they begin to build their roots in the NHL, Minor Pro, College, and Major Junior, we have consistently been receiving the top-end pro stock models of True hockey sticks.
JUST ADDED LOADS OF NHL TRUE STICKS AND MORE!
8 comments
My 15yr old son has had 2 XC9 ACF sticks. He loves the feel and performance of the stick BUT both blades have cracked (within a single season) in and around the X core part of the blade.
Have you heard of this happening ?
Any recommendations / suggestions?
My son plays travel league PW and has used a True ACF X9 for 2 years and it’s amazing!! He loves it and feels so comfortable shooting with it. The U flex is great for younger players. Great stick, I don’t play but even I can feel the difference in how the stick is balanced.
Very informative and interesting read. As a recreational golfer, I have a more than passing familiarity with True Temper shafts, but I was clueless about them being the brand behind True. My daughter is a second year bantam and all she knows is Bauer (great company, but a bit over blown), however for some inexplicable reason I’ve always been fascinated by this brand.
If she sticks with the game, True will be the brand that I purchase for her going forward.