Covestro, The Pittsburgh Penguins, Carnegie Mellon University Engineering and Bauer Hockey aim to make hockey safer

Innovation Partnership's signature event, Rethink-the-Rink, to focus on improving the safety of shot blocking equipment for players

PITTSBURGH, March 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Covestro, a world-leading supplier of high-tech polymer materials, announced its sixth annual "Rethink the Rink" Make-A-Thon in collaboration with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Carnegie Mellon Engineering and Bauer Hockey.

This signature event will span from March 6 to 10, 2023, and will encourage CMU students to develop innovative prototypes of hockey equipment at the University's TechSpark lab. The event will culminate in a series of prototype pitches to a panel of judges with expertise in professional hockey, advanced materials and hockey equipment, with the best prototypes potentially continuing development and becoming commercially available.

To learn more about the "Rethink the Rink" innovation partnership and the annual Make-a-thon, check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJTndOTC5T8.

This year's Rethink-the-Rink Make-A-Thon will focus on developing shot blocker equipment to protect a player's lower leg and ankle from the puck when the player attempts to block the opposing team's shot. Currently, there is no standardize shot blocker equipment, even though injuries resulting from a puck striking a players' lower extremity is common.

Carnegie Mellon students will have one week to ideate solutions, develop and test prototypes, and create a compelling presentation to explain their concepts to a panel of expert judges from the Penguins, Covestro, Bauer Hockey and the Engineering college. To help them achieve their goal, the students will have help from coaches, including materials experts from Covestro and hockey professionals from the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The "Rethink the Rink" partnership began at the close of 2017 when Covestro, the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Carnegie Mellon joined forces to bolster player safety and foster a sustained pipeline of hockey innovation.

"Covestro has a rich history of leveraging partnerships and collaborations in the spirit of innovation," said Haakan Jonsson, Chairman and President of Covestro. "The ongoing success of the Rethink the Rink program and the Make-a-Thon is a testament to the process, which brings great minds together toward the common objective of making hockey safer. I am extremely proud of our work with the Penguins and Carnegie Mellon Engineering, and I welcome Bauer Hockey to this year's Make-a-Thon, a world class partner in the design and manufacturer of hockey equipment."

"I am continually energized by the passion and commitment of our students," said Bill Sanders, Dean of the College of Engineering. "In one short week, they take the beginning of an idea all the way to a finished prototype. Working with the materials experts at Covestro and the Pittsburgh Penguins is truly a rewarding experience for our students. I am excited to see the final prototypes and the possibilities that come from this year's Make-a-Thon."

"The Rethink the Rink partnership continues to spawn new ideas that can improve safety in the sport of hockey," said Kevin Acklin, President of Business Operations for the Pittsburgh Penguins. "What started as a concept back in 2017 has evolved into what is now a successful annual event. I congratulate the students, our Pens experts and Covestro for coming together once again for Make-a-thon 2023, the sixth year of a very successful partnership."

About Covestro: 

Covestro is one of the world's leading manufacturers of high-quality polymer materials and their components. With its innovative products, processes and methods, the company helps enhance sustainability and the quality of life in many areas. Covestro supplies customers around the world in key industries such as mobility, building and living, as well as the electrical and electronics sector. In addition, polymers from Covestro are also used in sectors such as sports and leisure, cosmetics and health, as well as in the chemical industry itself.

The company is committed to becoming fully circular and is striving to become climate neutral by 2035 (scope 1 and 2). Covestro generated sales of EUR 18 billion in fiscal 2022. At the end of 2022, the company had 50 production sites worldwide and employed approximately 18,000 people (calculated as full-time equivalents).

About Carnegie Mellon University:

Carnegie Mellon, cmu.edu, is a private, internationally ranked research university with programs in areas ranging from science, technology and business, to public policy, the humanities and the arts. More than 14,000 students in the university's seven schools and colleges benefit from a small student-to-faculty ratio and an education characterized by its focus on creating and implementing solutions for real problems, interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation.

About Bauer Hockey:

Bauer Hockey is the world's most recognized designer, marketer and manufacturer of hockey equipment and is the No. 1 brand in hockey. Founded in Kitchener, Ontario, in 1927, Bauer Hockey developed the first skate with a blade attached to a boot, forever changing the game. Since then, Bauer Hockey has continued to develop the most sought-after products in the industry, including the widely successful SUPREME®, VAPOR® and NEXUS® lines of products. For more information, visit www.Bauer.com.

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Forward-looking statements

This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Covestro AG. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Covestro's public reports which are available at www.covestro.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

Media Contacts:

Covestro: Bob Walker, 412-413-2369, [email protected]
Pittsburgh Penguins: Jen Bullano, 412-255-1777, [email protected] 
Carnegie Mellon Engineering: Kaitlyn Landram, 412-715-1511, [email protected] 

SOURCE Covestro LLC