Itech

In 1984, Burns stepped down as president of the ice skate manufacturer Micron and started his own company, Itech Sports Products Inc., in Kirkland, Quebec. Initially, Burns set up the company to design and produce plastic face shields. At an old-timers game in the early 1980s, Burns was clipped in the face with a stick. After the game, he said to Red Storey that he would "have some sort of protective mask designed by that time next year."^[1] Burns's design went into production shortly after he started the company, and was soon adopted widely in the NHL.

In 2002, Itech diversified beyond hockey when it purchased the Cooper baseball assets from Irwin Toy.^[2]

In 2004, Burns merged Itech with Mission Hockey, which was based in California, to form Mission-Itech Hockey Ltd.^[3] For the next four years, the company continued to produce equipment under both brands. In the fall of 2008, Bauer purchased Mission-Itech.^[4] After the acquisition, Bauer continued to sell Itech equipment for a short time before phasing out the brand in 2009.