CCM Hockey Helmet Performance Claims Offside Says Bureau

Reebok-CCM has agreed to stop suggesting that its “CCM Resistance” hockey helmet could protect players from concussions.

The helmet is designed and tested to prevent catastrophic brain injuries, such as skull fractures. But the company’s testing was not sufficient to support the advertising claim that the helmet is effective in preventing concussions, the Competition Bureau concluded. The Competition Act prohibits firms from making performance claims that are based on “adequate and proper tests”. The is the second time that Canada’s competition referee has challenged hockey helmet performance claims: in November 2014, Bauer agreed to stop saying that its RE-AKT helmets could protect players from concussions.

Reebok-CCM also agreed to make a donation of $475,000 in sports equipment to a Canadian youth hockey organization and to pay $30,000 toward the Bureau’s costs.