BioSteel Sports Nutrition Inc. is a Canadian company based in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

that produces

dietary supplement A dietary supplement is a manufactured product intended to supplement a person's diet by taking a pill (pharmacy), pill, capsule (pharmacy), capsule, tablet (pharmacy), tablet, powder, or liquid. A supplement can provide nutrients eithe ...

products for athletes and exercise enthusiasts.

History

Officially founded in 2009 by Matt Nichol, John Celenza and former professional ice hockey player Mike Cammalleri, BioSteel sports drink was originally sold to professional teams and franchises. In 2010, Gary Roberts reported that ice hockey players were drinking BioSteel during a ''

Hockey Night in Canada ''Hockey Night in Canada'' (often abbreviated ''Hockey Night'' or ''HNiC'') is a long-running program of broadcast ice hockey play-by-play coverage in Canada. With roots in pioneering hockey coverage on private radio stations as early as 1923, ...

'' playoff broadcast which led to BioSteel's expansion of their distribution to general consumers. BioSteel is distributed through grocery stores and retail channels across Canada. In October 2019,

Canopy Growth Canopy Growth Corporation, formerly Tweed Marijuana Inc., is a cannabis company based in Smiths Falls, Ontario. In April 2019, Canopy was the world's largest cannabis company based on the value of all shares or market capitalization. At that tim ...

, a Canadian cannabis producer, acquired a 72% stake in BioSteel, with plans to introduce

cannabidiol Cannabidiol (CBD) is a phytocannabinoid, one of 113 identified cannabinoids in ''Cannabis'', along with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and accounts for up to 40% of the plant's extract. Medically, it is an anticonvulsant used to treat multiple f ...

-infused BioSteel products to the market. BioSteel agreed to a multiyear partnership for sports drinks with the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL) and

National Hockey League Players' Association The National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA, ) is the trade union, labour union for the group of professional List of NHL players, hockey players who are under Standard Player Contracts to the 32 member clubs in the National Hockey ...

(NHLPA) in 2022. On September 14, 2023, BioSteel Sports filed for Creditor Protection under the CCAA. On September 17, 2023, BioSteel Sports filed for

Chapter 15 bankruptcy Chapter 15, Title 11, United States Code is a chapter of the United States Bankruptcy Code that deals with jurisdiction in certain bankruptcy cases. Under Chapter 15, foreign bankruptcy proceedings can be recognised by US courts and foreign re ...

in Texas. In November 2023, Canopy Growth sold BioSteel to DC Holdings Ltd., which does business as Coachwood Group of Companies, BioSteel's operational part of the business, including intellectual property of the BioSteel brand name in the U.S., Canada, and worldwide. DC is a holding company owned by Windsor-based entrepreneur Dan Crosby, who owns various businesses in southwestern Ontario, including Coachwood Capital and sports nutrition company Canadian Protein. The remainder of BioSteel's assets, specifically their Virginia-based U.S. manufacturing facilities, were sold to New Jersey-based Gregory Packaging Inc., which makes SunCup juice and snack cartons.

Hockey camp

BioSteel holds an annual hockey training session of NHL players in Toronto, which lasts four days in late August. Matt Nichol and Gary Roberts, former NHL player, partnered to create a super camp for Toronto-area hockey players. The event, created and organized by BioSteel, is an annual training session before traditional NHL training camps begin. Known as "#Camp," the event takes place at

St. Michael's College School St. Michael's College School (also known as St. Michael's, St. Mike's, and SMCS), is an all-boys Catholic private school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Administered by the Congregation of St. Basil, it is the largest school of its kind in Canada ...

Arena. By its second year in 2011, there were 20 NHL players and 16 top prospects in attendance.

All-Canadian basketball game

In 2015, BioSteel and the Athlete Institute launched the high school

BioSteel All-Canadian Basketball Game The Cwench All Canadian Games are a pair of annual all-star basketball games, each featuring rosters composed of Canada's top senior high school players for that school year. Both games are played as a doubleheader; the first game featuring the top ...

. The competition featured a dunk contest and a three-point contest at

Orangeville, Ontario Orangeville (Canada 2021 Census population of 30,167) is a town in south-central Ontario, Canada, and the seat of Dufferin County. History The first patent of land was issued to Ezekiel Benson, a land surveyor, on August 7, 1820. That was fol ...

's Athlete Institute, and an all-star game at Ryerson University's Mattamy Centre. The top 24 high schoolers from across Canada took part in the event.

Commercial partners

BioSteel was used by 28 NHL franchises, 14

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

organizations, 18

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

teams, and numerous golfers. BioSteel announced an official partnership with the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), E ...

in 2015. The Raptors training facility opened in February 2016 and was named BioSteel Centre until 2018.

References

{{reflist

External links

Official website
Nutritional supplement companies Food and drink companies based in Toronto Manufacturing companies based in Toronto Companies that have filed for bankruptcy in Canada Companies that have filed for Chapter 15 bankruptcy