Victoriaville, a small city in southern Quebec, Canada, (just north of Maine) is home to many different high-quality hardwood products, with the most prominent of these being hockey sticks.

Long a staple producer of some of the most popular sticks in the industry, the Victoriaville hockey stick company was purchased by Rawlings in 1997 for $170 million. The company continued producing the sticks, but this time under the Rawlings brand name.

In a business move in 2001, Rawlings opted to discontinue the line of hockey sticks entirely, and it placed the physical factory for sale.

Famous NHL Stars Who Used Victoriaville Hockey Sticks

Bobby Orr

Almost from birth, Orr demonstrated a strong knack for hockey. Despite his great offensive skills, Orr’s first coach moved him to defense, figuring that would make better use of his offensive talent.

At the age of fourteen, Orr found himself playing for the Oshawa Generals, a junior hockey affiliate of the Boston Bruins. In 1966, at the age of 18, Orr joined the Bruins professionally, and they were not noted at the time for their success.

Orr helped the Bruins win the Stanley Cup in 1970 and 1972, taking the MVP award for himself both times. Orr continued to play defense throughout his NHL career, but he maintained his offensive focus and revolutionized the position.

He holds the record for most points and assists in a season by a defenseman, and he is the only defenseman to have won two league scoring titles. Orr was well known for his preference for both Victoriaville and Northland hockey sticks.

Gilbert Perreault

Perreault was well known for his ability to stickhandle in close quarters. The first player to ever be drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in 1970, Perreault went on to score 512 goals and accumulate 814 assists.

A Victoriaville native, Perreault, like Orr, demonstrated a strong knack for hockey at an early age. He actually preferred street hockey and didn’t begin skating until the age of 8.

By the end of his career, Perreault was the 6^th leading scorer in NHL history. His closest bid for winning a Stanley Cup came in 1975, when his Buffalo Sabres lost to the Philadelphia Flyers 4 games to 2.

Perreault had always been known to love Victoriaville hockey sticks, manufactured right in his own hometown.

Many Players Loved Victoriaville Hockey Sticks

While these were two examples of NHL players who used Victoriaville hockey sticks, they were not the only ones. Many other legends such as Phil Esposito, Jean Beliveau, and Peter Stastny were also known for their use of Victoriaville hockey sticks.   

-Dan "The Wisconsin Hockey Fan"