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ECHL, The Hockey Company Reach Unparalleled Deal

January 26, 2004 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release


PRINCETON, N.J. - The ECHL announced on Monday that it has signed an unprecedented marketing partnership with The Hockey Company Holdings, Inc. to exclusively provide on-ice and protective equipment to all 31 ECHL teams.

The Hockey Company is the manufacturer of three of the world's most recognizable hockey brands – CCM®, JOFA® and KOHO®. The Premier "AA" Hockey League, the ECHL is the largest league in professional hockey with 31 teams in 17 states.

The new agreement begins with the 2004-05 playing season and establishes The Hockey Company as the exclusive supplier of hockey sticks, helmets, visors, gloves, pants and protective equipment for all 31 teams and an exclusive supplier of authentic and replica jerseys. The Hockey Company has also been granted the exclusive rights to supply all on-ice officials with jerseys, visors, helmets, and pants.

The Hockey Company will continue to receive predominant league-wide exposure through ECHL media and promotional materials as well as recognition on www.echl.com, the official web site of the ECHL. The Hockey Company will continue to be a presenting sponsor for the ECHL All-Star Game and Skills Competition and will receive additional exposure at the team level through arena, media and promotional materials.

"The ECHL is extremely proud to enter into this long-term partnership with The Hockey Company," said Glen Thornborough, Vice President of Sales/Marketing for the ECHL. "They have proven themselves to be the dominant hockey company in the world through an ongoing commitment to innovation and unparalleled service. Products like the Vector one-piece composite sticks have set the standard for performance."

"As the premier ‘AA' hockey league, the ECHL represents an important partner by allowing The Hockey Company to connect with hockey enthusiasts in the United States," said Len Rhodes, Vice President of Marketing and Product Creation for The Hockey Company. "The ECHL's exciting brand of professional hockey is a great showcase for our leading-edge products like the new CCM® Vector V120 composite stick, the new CCM® Vector Pro skates and JOFA® protective equipment."

About The Hockey Company Holdings Inc.

The Hockey Company Holdings Inc., headquartered in Montreal, Canada is listed on The Toronto Stock Exchange and trades under the symbol HCY. With operations in Europe and the United States, it is the world's largest designer, manufacturer and marketer of hockey equipment and related apparel under three of the world's most recognized hockey brand names: CCM®, JOFA® and KOHO®. The Company is a world leader in the design and innovation of skates, sticks, helmets, protective equipment products and related apparel and is the exclusive licensee of the National Hockey League for authentic and replica jerseys.

About ECHL

Began in 1988 with five teams in three states, the ECHL has 31 teams in 17 states playing a record 1,116 games, making it the largest league in professional hockey. The ECHL welcomed nine new markets for 2003-04, including six from the former West Coast Hockey League, with the addition of the Alaska Aces, the Bakersfield Condors, the Fresno Falcons, the Gwinnett (Georgia) Gladiators, the Idaho (Boise) Steelheads, the Las Vegas Wranglers, the Long Beach Ice Dogs, the San Diego Gulls, and the Texas (Beaumont) Wildcatters. There have been 235 ECHL players that have advanced to the NHL, including 20 in 2003-04 that have made their first NHL appearance since playing in the ECHL. There were 53 former ECHL players on NHL opening-day rosters, surpassing the record of 50 players set in 2002-03. The ECHL has affiliations with 21 of the 30 teams in the NHL in 2003-04 and there has been an ECHL player on each of the 30 NHL teams in 2003-04. There are former ECHL coaches behind the bench on 14 of the 28 AHL teams, and the ECHL has affiliation agreements with 21 of the 28 teams in the AHL in 2003-04.

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