Nancy Morris introduce our speaker for the evening. Dan Palsson has been a resident of South Winnipeg since 1980. He is a husband of 33 years to the most amazing wife Brenda and proud father of 3 daughters, 2 granddaughters and 2 grandsons coming in June! His father – Beggi Palsson has been a Rotarian since 1976, and his father-in-law (Arnold Betcher), has been a Rotarian since the late 60’s – both reside in Swan River and are still very active…they are also horrible singers of the National Anthem! Dan’s work history includes:
30+ years as a Sportscaster in Television & Radio
25+ years in Medical Equipment Sales (Neurosurgery / Spine / Orthopedics / Cardiology)
20+ years owning a Medical Recruitment company (MRI Canada) ‘Medical Recruitment Initiatives of Canada’
2+ years as an ‘Entrepreneur’ as the CEO & Managing Director of ASKJA Protective Technologies Inc.
‘Entrepreneur’ is a fancy word for someone willing to put up with daily bouts of anxiety, stress, more grey hair and the most fun he’s ever had! What started out as a literal ‘home project’ making a much more protective Hockey Goal Mask – somehow did a complete 180-degree spin and wound up inventing a protective skate guard that’s now being worn by more than 180 players – almost 100 in the NHL, and depending on the line-up, anywhere from 8 to 14 of the Winnipeg Jets.
Dan advised that during a visit to his father-in-law’s Rotary Club, he paid $20 for Arnold Betcher to not sing O Canada. Dan does bring a big ‘Hello’ from Swan River and his father and father-in-law. During his recruitment years, he brought his future son-in-law’s father into Canada from South Africa. Dan now has two ½ South African grandkids.
Dan plays hockey on a regular basis with a group that includes orthopedic surgeons. While playing goalie, he was hit in the mask over the right side- temple region. The mask fractured (a $1,400 NHL level mask). After 5 past concussions, Dan felt that he had to change something. He went home and gathered all the materials he would need to start building his own goalie mask. Once he settled on a style, he built it and wore the mask to a game. One of the orthopedic surgeons advised him to hide the mask until he visited a Patent Attorney (gave him a card).
The story of the company name. When ASKJA (pronounced “ask-ya”), erupted in northern Iceland in the late 1800’s, it forced thousands of settlers to leave their homes and move to Canada in search of a better life. The grandparents of Dan Palsson were one of the couples (Bergthor & Helen Palsson) that settled on Hecla Island, Manitoba. The company name is paying homage to that Icelandic spirit. Through strength, hard work, and ingenuity those settlers thrived. ASKJA now builds on the heritage of those settlers through strength, hard work, and ingenuity. ASKJA is changing the face of protection, disrupting industries that have remained static for decades. Specializing in protective technology, ASKJA is creating game-changing equipment in the sports, military, police, fire and construction markets. ASKJA’s team of Engineers, Researchers, Athletes, Marketers and Doctors, bring years of experience to the table and are creating equipment that provides better protection from injury.
https://www.askjatech.com/pages/about-us Over many years the cost of hockey equipment has soared. In the 1930’s it cost less than $200 to fully equip a goalie. Now a set of pads is $2,200 alone. An NHL goalie will use 16 pair of pads over a season. There are players for the Dallas Stars that wear their skates for two games only, then get a new pair, 42 pairs of skates in a season.
Goalie masks have been a face shield, then in 1991 they became a full helmet with a cage cut out for the face. Multiple photos were shown of failures of this type of mask for NHL goalies. The materials had to be tested to find the best material that would dissipate the forces of a direct hit. Dan got the cash to test 30 different materials for the goalie mask that he was going to fabricate. The old test of squeezing the mask in on the sides to see how strong the mask was is actually a very poor way to evaluate a goalie mask. You want the material to flex and dissipate the shock of the hit. The best material turned out to be cheap PVC material found at RONA. He made the DEFLECTOR Mask. There is an outer shell that is not static, with up to 5 mm of movement.
The player numbers indicate that ice hockey is not where the market is. There are far more playing Field Hockey & Cricket etc. that need effective head protection.
Dan went in to make a presentation to the Jets when Vegas was in town. They were interested in the developing concept but were more interested if Dan could produce protective pads for their players skates.
The skate manufacturers have been making the skates lighter and stiffer. They accomplish this by taking padding out of the skates. The skates of today are carbon fibre, plastic and glue. There are skate protectors available on the market that are clear plastic held on the skate by the laces or Velcro straps. There is another, CSW, that is made of truck bed liner. This material actually concentrates the energy of the puck hitting the skate. They do not work and ¾ of the NHL were wearing this type of protection.
Dan showed a slide comparing the ‘TRUE’ pad worn by Andrew Copp vs. the ASKJA pad worn by Nikolaj Ehlers. This was version one or V1. Dan has now developed V2 that offers a better polymer and better padding – HELSKORE Skate Armour. Another slide showed a letter from the NHL that gives official approval of the system. There are 96 players in the NHL using HELSKORE pads on their skates. 25 of 31 teams are using HELSKORE.
HELSKORE has a carbon fibre look but has none in it. It is a special polymer (48 grams / pad) that dissipates the blow to the skate outward from the hit. The side guards make a 100 MPH hit feel like a 32 MPH hit. The ‘Tongue Guard’, made of the same material, makes a 100 MPH hit feel like a 50 MPH hit.
Dan pays $150 / month to work out of a Co-op Innovation Centre in Winnipeg. He was able to get an adhesive developed by NASA, used for the gluing of the famous ‘O-Rings’ on the solid rocket boosters for the space shuttle program. NASA let the patent for the glue lapse. He found out about this material from a female engineer, originally from Newfoundland, that worked for NASA. Dan advised that you need a chisel and hammer to get the HELSKORE pads off a skate.
Q/A
Q1.-Bob Antymniuk asked about the future of the goalie mask. Also, is it possible to reduce the actual impact felt even more than what has been achieved?
A.- Goalie mask is coming to the NHL soon. Jets goalie will be first to wear it.
-A new polymer from Germany is coming for V3 of HELSKORE. The price will be more than now ($159.00 USD), version 3 will be priced in the $500.00 area. Dan is not sure that the market will support that price point. An NHL player will use 6 -10 pair of skates / year.
Q2.- Janet Spence questioned the amount of concussion reduction expected by the new goalie mask.
A.- The chance of head injury is going to be less with the new mask. In order to do research it costs $9,000 / month for 1 million in coverage from Lloyds of London. The players want the mask to look ‘cool’. There is a balance between protection and looks.
Q3.- President Mandy wanted to know where the worn Jets skates go?
A.- Play It Again Sports. A $1,200 NHL Jets’ skate sells for ~ $400.
Q4.- Nancy Morris asked if ‘Buff’ wore the HELSKORE pads?
A.- No. He wears TRUE skate’s system. He has very strange shaped feet. Needs custom scanned skates to fit him.
Dan is making Knee protection for a player that fractured his patella (kneecap). The future of this company will be interesting.
Ed Thompson thanked Dan for his very interesting presentation. Dan was advised that a donation in his name would be made to ShelterBox.
