Great Skate Hockey Supply

What Great Skate Hockey Supply does

Great Skate Hockey Supply Co. is a privately held specialty retailer of hockey equipment, founded in 1975 and headquartered at 3395 Sheridan Drive in Amherst, New York (Buffalo area). The company sells inline hockey skates, ice hockey skates, hockey sticks, helmets, gloves, protective equipment, goalie pads and gear, apparel, and accessories, drawing inventory from major manufacturers including Bauer Hockey, CCM Hockey, Warrior, True Hockey, Vaughn Sports, Mission, Jackson, Shock Doctor, and New Era. The company self-describes as having the largest selection of hockey equipment in North America and emphasizes a 50-year Buffalo-ownership heritage, lowest-price positioning, price-matching, and expert staff guidance as core differentiators.

The business operates an omnichannel model combining a Magento-based e-commerce storefront (GreatSkate.com, launched in 2001) with a single physical retail store. Customers include individual hockey players across all age groups, goalies, recreational figure skaters, and hockey teams/leagues seeking bulk equipment. Revenue is generated exclusively through one-time retail transactions (individual product sales ranging from approximately $20 to $1,230), with no subscription or recurring-revenue components. Supporting services include an outlet shop offering up to 70% off clearance inventory, team pricing for bulk orders, gift-card e-certificates, $11.99 flat-rate UPS shipping over $100, and an email newsletter plus multi-platform social media presence for customer acquisition and retention. The company ships across the USA and Canada.

The company is independently and locally owned, with no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, or external funding. No acquisitions, leadership changes, or major restructuring events are recorded. Management team details, revenue figures, and AI/technology capabilities beyond the standard e-commerce platform are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Great Skate Hockey Supply

Legal name

Great Skate Hockey Supply Co.

Website

https://greatskate.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Great Skate Hockey Supply is a privately held, Buffalo-based specialty retailer founded in 1975 that sells ice hockey, inline, street, and figure skating equipment online and through a single retail store, serving individual players, goalies, figure skaters, and hockey teams across North America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sporting Goods Retail / Hockey Equipment Retail

NAICS

Sporting Goods Retailers (45911), Sporting Goods Retailers (459110)

SIC

Sporting & Athletic Goods, Nec (3949)

akta.pro primary industry

Ice Hockey & Field Hockey Equipment Retail (CRAMAEAE)

Keywords

• Hockey equipment retail
• Ice hockey skates
• Goalie equipment
• Hockey protective gear
• Team sports apparel

Headquarters

HQ city

Amherst

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail Product Sales: One-time transaction sales of hockey equipment including skates, sticks, helmets, protective gear, goalie equipment, apparel, and accessories. Revenue generated through direct consumer purchases via e-commerce website and physical retail store. No subscription or recurring revenue components.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Great Skate Hockey Supply is a specialty retailer that sells ice hockey and street/roller hockey equipment, including skates, sticks, helmets, protective gear, goalie equipment, apparel, and accessories from major brands. It operates a physical store in Amherst, NY alongside an e-commerce site, and offers team pricing, outlet items, price matching, and flat-rate shipping to serve individual players, families, and organized hockey teams.

Product overview

Great Skate Hockey Supply is a hockey equipment e-commerce retailer offering a comprehensive product portfolio across multiple categories. The core offering includes ice hockey skates (Bauer Vapor, Bauer Supreme, CCM Tacks, CCM Jetspeed lines), hockey sticks, helmets, and player protective gear. The business also serves goalies with specialized equipment, sells performance and lifestyle apparel, and provides street and roller hockey alternatives. Additional offerings include an outlet shop for discounted items and team pricing services for bulk orders. The company operates as a single unified e-commerce platform without separate product modules, selling products from major manufacturers including Bauer Hockey, CCM Hockey, Warrior, True Hockey, Vaughn Sports, and Jackson.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ice Hockey Skates Retail sale of ice hockey skates from major brands for individual players and team orders.
• Hockey Sticks Retail sale of hockey sticks from brands such as Bauer, CCM, Warrior, and True for players and teams.
• Hockey Helmets Retail sale of hockey helmets for player safety, offered through the storefront and online store.
• Hockey Protective Gear Retail sale of protective hockey gear (shoulder pads, pants, shin guards, elbow pads, gloves) from brands like Bauer, CCM, Warrior, and Shock Doctor.
• Goalie Equipment Retail sale of goalie-specific equipment including pads, masks, gloves, and blockers from brands such as Vaughn and Bauer.
• Hockey Apparel Retail sale of hockey apparel and accessories, including branded headwear from New Era and other team/lifestyle hockey apparel.
• Street and Roller Hockey Gear Retail sale of street and roller hockey equipment including inline skates and related gear for off-ice play.
• Outlet / Discounted Hockey Equipment Retail sale of discounted and outlet hockey equipment, providing lower-priced options for budget-conscious players and families.
• Team Pricing Program Bulk/team pricing program that supplies organized hockey teams, leagues, schools, and youth programs with negotiated pricing on equipment orders.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bauer HockeycoreOthersPrimary equipment supplier. Major brand offering skates, sticks, helmets, gloves, protective equipment, bags, and accessories across multiple product lines (Vapor, Supreme, Nexus, Prodigy, X Series).
• CCM HockeycoreOthersPrimary equipment supplier. Major brand offering skates, sticks, helmets, gloves, protective equipment, jerseys, socks, and bags across Tacks, Jetspeed, Ribcor, and NEXT lines.
• Warrior HockeyminorOthersEquipment brand supplying sticks, gloves, shoulder pads, elbow pads, shin pads, helmets, bags, and goalie equipment across Alpha and Covert lines.
• True HockeyminorOthersEquipment brand offering sticks, protective equipment, bags, and goalie gear.
• Vaughn SportsminorOthersGoalie equipment specialist supplying goalie pads, gloves, blockers, and protective gear.
• Mission (Inline Skates)minorOthersInline/roller hockey skate brand supplying Mission Inhaler FS2 and other roller hockey equipment.
• Jackson (Figure Skates)minorOthersFigure skate brand (Jackson Ultima) offering recreational figure skates for rink and pond use.
• Shock DoctorminorOthersMouthguard and protective accessory brand.
• New EraminorOthersApparel brand offering hats and lifestyle apparel accessories.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pure Hockey: Largest U.S. specialty hockey equipment retailer with both a national e-commerce platform and a multi-store physical footprint. Directly comparable to Great Skate across product breadth (skates, sticks, protective, goalie), customer base (players, goalies, families), and omnichannel model.
• Perani's Hockey World: Family-owned specialty hockey retailer founded in the Buffalo area (later expanding via acquisition), operating both stores and e-commerce. Highly comparable niche positioning, brand mix (Bauer, CCM, Warrior), and target customers to Great Skate.
• Hockey Monkey: Specialty hockey equipment e-commerce retailer with a comparable product mix (skates, sticks, protective, goalie, apparel) and price-competitive positioning. Competes head-to-head with Great Skate for online hockey customers nationwide.
• Total Hockey: Online and store-based hockey equipment retailer offering the same major-brand assortment (Bauer, CCM, Warrior, True) across player and goalie gear. Directly comparable category focus and customer profile to Great Skate.

Regional players

• Source For Sports: Canadian sporting goods retail network with strong hockey equipment assortment across member stores. Comparable hockey specialty assortment and target customer, but primarily serves the Canadian market rather than competing directly in the U.S.
• Pro Hockey Life: Canadian specialty hockey equipment chain with a comparable category focus and major-brand mix (Bauer, CCM, Warrior, True). Overlaps with Great Skate on product offering but operates primarily in Canada.

Emerging players

• HockeyStickMan: Online hockey stick specialist retailer offering a curated stick assortment and pro-custom builds. Comparable to Great Skate's stick category and goal of serving serious players, but with a narrower category focus and no physical retail.
• Inline Skates.com / InlineSkateWorld: Specialty inline/roller skate retailer that overlaps with Great Skate's street/roller hockey category (including Mission inline hockey skates). Comparable on inline hockey sub-segment but narrower product breadth overall.

Broad incumbents

• Academy Sports + Outdoors: Multi-category sporting goods retailer with a hockey equipment section. Competes with Great Skate for entry-level and youth hockey buyers but does not match the depth or staff specialization of a pure hockey specialist.
• DICK's Sporting Goods: Largest U.S. sporting goods retailer carrying hockey equipment as part of a broad assortment. Overlaps with Great Skate on hockey SKUs but does not specialize in the niche; competes on price, convenience, and store footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/greatskatehockey4
• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/Great-Skate-Hockey/206946199376454
• Instagraminstagram.com/greatskatehockey
• Pinterestpinterest.com/greatskate1

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Great Skate Hockey Supply