CCM vs Bauer Hockey Skates - Going Bar Down (2024)

You’re looking for a new pair of hockey skates, the most vital piece of equipment a hockey player wears and you’re wondering whats the difference between CCM and Bauer? These are the two biggest companies and most recognizable brands in the hockey world, and they’re each unique in the qualities they offer! Hockey skate technology has changed a ton over the last few years, with skates now offering anatomical fits to your foot instead of the classic boot cut fit. Both CCM and Bauer have some great high quality options, and neither skate is going to let you down on the ice.

In the NHL, 70% of all players choose Bauer skates while just under 20% choose CCM hockey skates. Rounding out third is the True Pro Custom skate which we’ve already covered in a different post!

The reigning skate champ heading into the 2021 – 2022 season is the Bauer Vapor 2X, as some players fell in love with it back when it came out and refuse to switch! (According toGear Geek)

At the end of the day, a lot of the choice is personal preference and what fits your foot the best is what you need to go with.We’re going to break down the fitting styles and technology in both brands to help you make the best choice for your game!

Want to see our complete round up of all the best hockey skates of the year? Click here to take a look!

Both the Bauer Vapor and CCM Ribore hockey skates share one main goal in common, they’re designed for speed and acceleration. When you’re coming out of a tight turn or crossing over you want to be able to explode out and attack the defender, and both skates let you do just that.

The Bauer Vapor feature a flexible boot, and the overall rocker of the skate is the furthest forward of all the Bauer skates. The CCM Ribcore also achieves same effect a bit differently, using a variable flex boot which gives the skater a bit more versatility on the ice.

Both hockey skates are designed for a low profile foot, as the heel is shallow so the arch of the skate boot isn’t as big. Both skates are designed for a snug fit, but the Vapor tends to give you a little more room at the toe than the Ribcore. Both skates minimize the extra space in the boot and try to make the skate fit as closely as possible, but if you have wider feet we would recommend trying the Bauer Vapor skate line before the CCM due to the tapered fit.

If you’re in the market for a truly anatomical fit, then the Bauer Supreme or CCM Jetspeed skate lines are what you should be checking out. Both are designed to fit your feet as closely as possible, creating a glove like feel every time you put these skates on.

If you’re a shifty forward or agile defenceman that relies on superior mobility on the ice, both the Supreme and Jetspeed are engineered to give you just that. A deeper heel lock to keep your foot firmly in place, the Supreme has composite inserts throughout to give you a snug fit all around your foot. The Jetspeed skates give you a bit more room towards the toe, but are still designed to be a narrow fitting skate.

Both the Jetspeed and Supreme skates have a stiffer boot, to give you better responsiveness on the ice. These are meant to have the skate as an extension of your foot, with as little movement as possible in the boot to maximize energy transfer. If you like a little more room in your skates at the toe, the Jetspeed skate line is what we would recommend!

We still have this comparison here, but as you now know, the Nexus line is discontinued! If you want a ‘wide’ boot, you either have to go with the CCM tacks line or get an EE boot width in the Supreme lineup!