Sherwood Hockey

Lore & Background

The Sher-Wood brand name was created as a portmanteau of 'Sherbrooke' and 'Woodcraft.' In 1961, Léo Drolet formed a second company called Sher-Wood Hockey Sticks, which merged in 1969 with Sherbrooke Woodcraft to form the Sherwood-Drolet Corp. Later that year, a fire engulfed the Sherwood-Drolet factory, allegedly started by a disgruntled employee who had been fired recently. The fire occurred while the plant was shut down for summer holidays, and insurance covered only a third of the damage. To pay for reconstruction, Drolet sold an 80 per cent stake in his company to Rowan Industries Inc. of Oceanport, New Jersey. On the return flight after completing the acquisition, the company's chartered Cessna 402 crashed, killing four executives, including its president and chairman. Figgie International Inc. of Cleveland then acquired Rowan's stake in Sherwood-Drolet.

In 1991, Léo's son Denis Drolet succeeded his father as president. That year, the company expanded beyond hockey sticks and began producing protective equipment. In 1994, Denis and his brother Michel formed the holding company Groupe Drolet Inc., which purchased Sherwood-Drolet from Figgie International for around $15 million, returning the company to Canadian ownership after 25 years of American control. Sherwood-Drolet filed for bankruptcy in May 2008, and its assets were purchased by Carpe Diem Growth Capital. In 2011, Sher-Wood moved the bulk of its production from Sherbrooke to Asia. In 2014, the Gracious Living Corporation purchased the assets and reorganised the brand into the Sherwood Athletics Group Inc. In 2018, the Canadian Tire Corporation purchased all of Sherwood's trademarks, and since then the name has existed only as a brand rather than a company.

Reader's Guide

Sherwood's significance lies in its long-standing presence in Canadian hockey, beginning as a stick manufacturer in 1949 and later expanding into protective equipment in 1991 under Denis Drolet. The brand weathered major disruptions, including a devastating factory fire in 1969 and a subsequent period of American ownership, before returning to Canadian control in 1994. Its bankruptcy in 2008 and subsequent acquisitions by Carpe Diem Growth Capital and Gracious Living Corporation marked further transitions. The 2018 purchase of its trademarks by Canadian Tire Corporation placed Sherwood alongside other historic hockey brands such as Hespeler and Victoriaville within a single corporate group. The brand's legacy includes its origin in Sherbrooke, Quebec, and its evolution from a family-run company to a brand owned by a major Canadian retailer. The move of production to Asia in 2011 reflects broader industry shifts. Sherwood remains a recognizable name in hockey equipment, though it no longer operates as an independent manufacturing company.

Did You Know?

• The Sher-Wood name is a portmanteau of 'Sherbrooke' and 'Woodcraft.'
• A fire in July 1969 destroyed the Sherwood-Drolet factory, allegedly started by a disgruntled former employee.
• After the 1969 fire, the company's president and chairman died in a plane crash on the return flight from completing a sale of the company.
• Sherwood is part of Canadian Tire's group of hockey brands, which also includes Hespeler and Victoriaville.