It looks like Mark Messier and Bauer are set to team up to take on concussions. News surfaced today that Bauer bought Cascade Helmets Holdings Inc. for $64 million.
Cascade enlisted Messier to help promote a series of concussion-reducing helmets under the moniker “The Messier Project,” which you can learn more about here. That interesting development surfaced a few years ago, yet there was always the sense that a safer helmet wouldn’t gather steam unless a major manufacturer developed similar technology.
Seeing a company as large as Bauer make such an investment in Cascade is a fantastic sign that the industries powering the hockey world are taking concussion prevention more seriously. Hockey leagues both large and small still have room for improvement, but that will hopefully come with time. If these helmets make a significant difference in reducing one of hockey (and sports’) most worrisome problems, this agreement could be quite the breakthrough.