CALGARY, Alta. – Hockey Canada has partnered with Under Armour, Inc., to make the company’s ArmourBite Performance Mouthwear the official mouth guard and mouth piece of Canada’s national teams for the 2010-11 season.

Already this season, ArmourBite Performance Mouthwear has been worn by Canada’s gold medal-winning National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team, gold medal-winning National Women’s Team, silver medal-winning National Junior Team and by Canada’s National Sledge Team.

When athletes exert themselves, clenching the jaw is a natural reaction. Teeth-clenching, however, triggers the excess production and release of hormones, such as cortisol, that produce stress, fatigue and distraction, hindering an athlete’s performance. ArmourBite Performance Mouthwear retains a scientifically-measured space between the teeth as an athlete clenches. This spacing reduces the increase of pressure at the temporomandibular joint and prevents the excessive production of performance-sapping hormones.

“We are constantly looking for ways to give our players every advantage possible, and we feel this technology does just that,” says Brad Pascall, Hockey Canada’s vice-president of hockey operations/national teams. “We have received nothing but good reviews since we began using ArmourBite Performance Mouthwear, and look forward to continuing our partnership with Under Armour in the future.”

“Under Armour is constantly pursuing new technologies and innovations that help athletes at all levels perform to their maximum potential,” said Matt Shearer, Under Armour’s vice-president and general manager for Canada. “We are thrilled to extend our partnership with Hockey Canada and provide ArmourBite Performance Mouthwear to elite hockey players across the nation.”

About Under Armour, Inc.

Under Armour is a leading developer, marketer, and distributor of branded performance apparel, footwear, and accessories. The brand's moisture-wicking synthetic fabrications are engineered in many different designs and styles for wear in nearly every climate to provide a performance alternative to traditional natural fiber products.  The company's products are sold worldwide and worn by athletes at all levels, from youth to professional, on playing fields around the globe.  The Under Armour global headquarters is in Baltimore, Maryland, with European headquarters in Amsterdam’s Olympic Stadium, and additional offices in Denver, Hong Kong, Toronto, and Guangzhou, China. For further information, please visit the company's website at www.underarmour.com.