Jofa

Jofa is a Swedish ice hockey equipment brand with roots in Malung, a town historically associated with Sweden's hide and leather industry. The business was founded in 1926 by Niss Oskar Jonsson under the name Jonssons Fabriker AB. Its earliest products used leftover materials from the local hide industry, and the first factory operated in a former tannery. During the Second World War, the company expanded through military orders for tents and uniforms, helping establish the industrial base from which its later sporting-goods business developed. Jofa's most important commercial development came in the 1960s. In 1963, the company began producing hockey helmets, eventually becoming one of the early manufacturers to develop and popularize plastic protective helmets for ice hockey. The brand's helmets became particularly visible in North America and were worn by prominent players including Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Mark Messier, Jaromir Jagr, Mats Sundin, Peter Forsberg, Teemu Selanne, and the Sedin brothers. Jofa also produced other hockey equipment, including skates and sticks, and its protective gear became its strongest association with the sport. The company's ownership changed repeatedly from the 1970s onward. Niss Oskar Jonsson sold the business to Volvo in 1973. Volvo sold it to Karhu in 1985, and in 1989 Jofa was transferred to Karhu's Canadian arm, Karhu Canada Inc., later known as Sports Holdings Corporation. Sports Holdings was acquired by SLM International in 1998; SLM changed its name to The Hockey Company in 1999. Reebok acquired The Hockey Company in 2004, taking control of Jofa together with brands such as CCM, Koho, Titan, Canadien, and Heaton. Following that transaction, Reebok phased out most of the acquired names in favor of CCM and Reebok Hockey, while Jofa largely disappeared from new mainstream hockey equipment. Adidas acquired Reebok in 2005. In 2017, Adidas sold its hockey operations to Birch Hill Equity Partners, with the assets consolidated in Sport Maska Inc. CCM is the group's flagship hockey brand, but Jofa has remained available on a limited basis for selected products. The brand's historical importance rests less on its current range than on its contribution to the development and acceptance of modern hockey helmets. Its products were associated with several generations of elite players, and the Jofa name retained unusual visibility even after the brand was no longer actively used across the full equipment portfolio. Teemu Selanne continued wearing a Jofa 366 helmet after the brand's wider withdrawal, although the logo was obscured after the relevant NHL licensing arrangement expired. Following Selanne's retirement in 2014, no NHL player was reported in the reference material as continuing to wear a Jofa helmet.

Jofa began in 1926 in Malung, Sweden, when Niss Oskar Jonsson founded Jonssons Fabriker AB. The company emerged from Malung's hide industry and initially made goods from residual leather and hide materials. Its first factory occupied an old tannery, reflecting the close relationship between the business and the town's established manufacturing traditions. During the Second World War, military procurement for tents and uniforms helped Jofa grow beyond its local industrial origins. The company's later identity was shaped by ice hockey. In 1963, Jofa entered helmet manufacturing and worked with plastic protective designs at a time when hockey headgear was becoming increasingly important. The brand became associated with a generation of professional players and gained substantial recognition in North America. Alongside helmets, Jofa manufactured skates, sticks, and other hockey equipment. Its protective products, especially its helmets, became the clearest expression of the brand's expertise. Jofa became part of Volvo in 1973 after Jonsson sold the company. Volvo sold it to Karhu in 1985. Four years later, Jofa was sold to Karhu Canada Inc., which later became Sports Holdings Corporation. This ownership period connected the Swedish brand more closely to the North American hockey-equipment market. Sports Holdings was acquired by SLM International in 1998, and SLM adopted the name The Hockey Company in 1999. In 2004, Reebok acquired The Hockey Company. The transaction included Jofa and several other hockey names, among them CCM, Koho, Titan, Canadien, and Heaton. After the acquisition, Reebok concentrated its equipment strategy around CCM and its own Reebok Hockey identity. Jofa was therefore largely phased out as a current equipment label, even though its historical products and player associations remained well known. Adidas's acquisition of Reebok in 2005 placed the hockey portfolio under Adidas ownership. Adidas sold its hockey operations in 2017 to Birch Hill Equity Partners. The operations were consolidated in Sport Maska Inc., with CCM serving as the group's main hockey brand. Jofa was retained in limited form rather than restored as a full-scale competing equipment line. The brand's continuing significance is consequently historical and specialist: it is remembered for early plastic hockey helmets and for the high-level players who used Jofa equipment. Wayne Gretzky was among the most prominent users, and other notable Jofa helmet users included Jaromir Jagr, Mario Lemieux, Mark Messier, Jari Kurri, Mats Sundin, Peter Forsberg, Teemu Selanne, and Daniel and Henrik Sedin. Selanne continued to use a Jofa 366 helmet after the broader withdrawal of the brand, with the logo obscured because of an expired licensing arrangement. His retirement after the 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs marked the end of the period in which a Jofa helmet was regularly visible among NHL players in the reference material.

• 2017

  Hockey operations sold to Birch Hill Equity Partners

  [1]Jofaen.wikipedia.org

  Adidas sold its hockey operations to Birch Hill Equity Partners, with the assets consolidated in Sport Maska Inc.

• 2004

  Reebok acquisition and brand consolidation

  [1]Jofaen.wikipedia.org

  Reebok acquired The Hockey Company and subsequently emphasized CCM and Reebok Hockey over Jofa.

• 1999

  SLM International renamed The Hockey Company

  [1]Jofaen.wikipedia.org

  The owner changed its corporate name to The Hockey Company.

• 1998

  Acquired by SLM International

  [1]Jofaen.wikipedia.org

  Sports Holdings Corporation, the successor to Karhu Canada, was acquired by SLM International.

• 1989

  Transferred to Karhu Canada

  [1]Jofaen.wikipedia.org

  Karhu sold Jofa to its Canadian arm, Karhu Canada Inc.

• 1985

  Acquired by Karhu

  [1]Jofaen.wikipedia.org

  Volvo sold Jofa to Karhu.

• 1973

  Acquired by Volvo

  [1]Jofaen.wikipedia.org

  Jonsson sold the company to Volvo.

• 1963

  Entry into hockey helmet production

  [1]Jofaen.wikipedia.org

  Jofa began manufacturing hockey helmets and developed a reputation for plastic protective headgear.

• 1926

  Jofa founded in Malung

  [1]Jofaen.wikipedia.org

  Niss Oskar Jonsson founded Jonssons Fabriker AB in Malung, Sweden, establishing the business that later became Jofa.

A historically important Swedish hockey-equipment brand associated with protective innovation, especially plastic helmets, and with use by high-profile professional players. Under current ownership, Jofa is a limited legacy brand within a portfolio led by CCM rather than a broad standalone equipment business.

• Ice hockey protective equipment · 1963

  Jofa hockey helmets

  Jofa's signature product category was its ice hockey helmet range. The company entered helmet manufacturing in 1963 and became associated with plastic helmet construction and practical protective designs. Jofa helmets were worn by numerous prominent professional players, particularly in the NHL, giving the brand visibility well beyond Sweden. The range is now primarily significant as a legacy product line rather than as the center of a broad current business.

• Ice hockey helmet

  Jofa 366

  The Jofa 366 is a helmet model most closely associated with Teemu Selanne in the later period of Jofa's visibility in the NHL. Selanne continued wearing the helmet after Jofa equipment was no longer broadly produced under the brand. The logo was blacked out because the relevant licensing agreement had expired, making the model a notable example of the brand's lingering player-level recognition.

• Ice hockey equipment

  Jofa ice skates

  Jofa manufactured ice skates as part of its wider hockey-equipment portfolio. The available reference material identifies skates as one of the brand's product categories, but does not provide enough detail to describe specific models, technical features, or current availability.

• Ice hockey equipment

  Jofa hockey sticks

  Hockey sticks were among the equipment manufactured under the Jofa name. They formed part of a broader product portfolio that complemented the brand's better-known protective gear. Specific product generations, materials, and distribution history are not established in the supplied sources.

• Military textiles and equipment

  Jofa military tents and uniforms

  During the Second World War, Jofa expanded through orders from the Swedish military for tents and uniforms. These products belong to the company's early industrial history rather than its later consumer-facing identity as an ice hockey brand.

• 2017

  Adidas sold its hockey operationsM&A

  Background

  Adidas owned the hockey operations through its 2005 acquisition of Reebok.

  Action taken

  Adidas sold the hockey operations to Birch Hill Equity Partners, which consolidated them in Sport Maska Inc.

  Aftermath

  CCM became the flagship brand, while Jofa continued only on a limited number of products.

  Source

• 2004

  Reebok acquired The Hockey CompanyM&A

  Background

  The Hockey Company controlled Jofa and several other established hockey-equipment names, including CCM, Koho, Titan, Canadien, and Heaton.

  Action taken

  Reebok acquired the company and integrated its brands into a portfolio increasingly centered on CCM and Reebok Hockey.

  Aftermath

  Jofa was largely phased out as a mainstream equipment label, while CCM remained active and became the principal surviving brand in the portfolio.

  Source

1. 1Jofaen.wikipedia.org