NY Times: In Canada, the Cost of Youth Hockey Benches the Next Generation

[TheTotalPackage]

Why aren't kids using the basic $10 wooden sticks?

I agree hockey at the competitive level is getting to expensive for most families...but there is no reason at all for any kid playing below the junior level to use anything but plain wooden sticks.

Do they even make these anymore? Honest question.

I picked up ice hockey this year again after a 10-year hiatus, and I can’t find a wooden stick (I miss my Sherwoods). Besides the fact you can barely find a good stick for under $100, I feel like I’m playing with a pool noodle using a composite stick.

 

[Barclay Donaldson]

Do they even make these anymore? Honest question.

I picked up ice hockey this year again after a 10-year hiatus, and I can’t find a wooden stick (I miss my Sherwoods). Besides the fact you can barely find a good stick for under $100, I feel like I’m playing with a pool noodle using a composite stick.

You can find a good Sherwood at any chain hockey store in Canada and probably the US for about $30-40. I wouldn't suggest it if you're an adult, the wooden sticks snap like you wouldn't believe and the wood splinters shatter everywhere.

 

[PlayersLtd]

Urban populations are expanding, demand for ice time is going up, cost of building arenas is nearly prohibitive, cost of professional instruction is increasing due to cost of living + misplaced obsession with high quality or other material factors that aren't relevant to a kids skills = too expensive.

Is that close? What I'm getting at is it is more reflective of a higher cost of living due to population pressures in our urban centres than anything. Is it not?

What I would be curious to see is if access to hockey in rural areas is increasing as quickly. In rural areas, arena operating costs tend to be less, demand is less resulting in reduced fees and instructors tend to do it for the kids or as a civic duty, more than to supplement their income.

 

[BigGoalBrad]

I'd imagine gouging kids/parents is the only way the manufacturers make any money.

All the NHLers and AHLers expect their skates and equipment for free. Only so many people play beer leagues and everyone I play with will use the same stuff for a decade. Growing kids needing new stuff is the only cash cow.

I know around Boston even the local travel leagues play a ridiculous amount of out of state tournaments and the like even as low as mites these days. Every level has that crap these days. Why pay 1k for the shitty league if the path to the NHL league is 2k and only a grand more?

Not shocked that every sport besides football is trending the same way it makes sense given our oneupsmanship society. And I'm sure parents of football players in middle class communities will be looked down upon for subjecting their kids to concussions even though they are not going to hit each other hard enough until they are playing at a Varsity HS or college level given the quality of equipment right now. (I'd question a 19 year old kid paying full tuition playing D3 football for 4 years against other adult men and taking those hits but junior high level soccer has more injuries not to mention heading the ball repeatedly could be worse.)

 

[Ace Card Bedard]

I guess I was lucky to grow up when I did.
Equipment wasn't so expensive in the 80's and 90's.

 

[Jussi]

Europe absolutely. Locally supported sporting academies, more government support (look at tax-rates in the Nordic countries). Much more willingness and acceptance to use handy-me down equipment that is part of the culture.

Nope. Ice time fees are running the season fees too high for many parents, especially in Southern Finland. Floorball is "stealing" players from hockey.

Over three years ago, a Finnish government research estimated the annual cost for playing hockey for over 14 year olds at 8 000 euros:

Lapsen urheiluharrastus voi maksaa uuden auton verran – syy hintojen räjähdykseen on myös vanhemmissa

https://julkaisut.valtioneuvosto.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/75232/okm5.pdf?sequence=1

HPK's C-junior teams expenses for a year from a year ago were 3420€ per player, 17 500€ for bus trips and 15 000€. That's covered mostly by the parents.

 

[Jumptheshark]

No question it is getting harder and harder.

In Canada, the Cost of Youth Hockey Benches the Next Generation

“If I were starting out to play hockey now, my parents wouldn’t have been able to afford to put me in the sport, that’s just the reality of it,” said Joe Thornton, a 23-year N.H.L. veteran who grew up in St. Thomas, Ontario.

“It’s a pricey sport to get into, that’s for sure. I don’t know how my parents did it but I always had new skates every year. We had wood sticks and those would cost $12. Now it’s $100 for a composite stick. It’s just going up,” Thornton said.

Devils forward Wayne Simmonds also knows firsthand how expensive minor hockey can be.

The 31-year-old grew up in Scarborough, a section of Toronto where the median household income was roughly 63,000 Canadian dollars (about $48,000) in 2015, according to city data. His family organized barbecues, among other efforts, to help pay for his hockey dreams.

“The cost is extremely high and it’s not really manageable for most working-class families to afford to put their kids in hockey,” he said. “Never mind if they had two kids or three kids that wanted to play the sport.”

this is nothing new

it has never been cheap to play organized hockey in Canada

 

[SupremeNachos]

It's not only the price of equipment but all those extra classes and programs that are optional (they're not). Like it or not, some kids are going to be passed over because they didn't attend a certain camp or special program. Travel hockey is huge when it comes to who gets picked for your varsity teams. So even if you reduce the cost of sticks, skates, pads etc you still are faced with 1000s of dollars worth of camps and travel.

 

[93LEAFS]

Nope. Ice time fees are running the season fees too high for many parents, especially in Southern Finland. Floorball is "stealing" players from hockey.

Over three years ago, a Finnish government research estimated the annual cost for playing hockey for over 14 year olds at 8 000 euros:

Lapsen urheiluharrastus voi maksaa uuden auton verran – syy hintojen räjähdykseen on myös vanhemmissa

https://julkaisut.valtioneuvosto.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/75232/okm5.pdf?sequence=1

HPK's C-junior teams expenses for a year from a year ago were 3420€ per player, 17 500€ for bus trips and 15 000€. That's covered mostly by the parents.

Sorry to hear that. I thought your club system helped support struggling kids. I still think that does help kids better than ours, but it isn't the perfection I thought it was. But, it does seem universal that hockey is becoming accessible, which is sad to here. The fact some of the best players development has costed 20gs is terrible. But, that is modern-day hockey in Toronto.

 

[Ainec]

needs more goverment subsidies

 

[Jussi]

Sorry to hear that. I thought your club system helped support struggling kids. I still think that does help kids better than ours, but it isn't the perfection I thought it was. But, it does seem universal that hockey is becoming accessible, which is sad to here. The fact some of the best players development has costed 20gs is terrible. But, that is modern-day hockey in Toronto.

Our club or development system has always been one where the parents pay for everything unless the kid develops far enough in a Liiga club organization where the club begins to foot the bill for the equipment and ice time. But usually that's only at the oldest A-juniors level (18 - 21 year olds).

 

[End on a Hinote]

Nope. Ice time fees are running the season fees too high for many parents, especially in Southern Finland. Floorball is "stealing" players from hockey.

Over three years ago, a Finnish government research estimated the annual cost for playing hockey for over 14 year olds at 8 000 euros:

Lapsen urheiluharrastus voi maksaa uuden auton verran – syy hintojen räjähdykseen on myös vanhemmissa

https://julkaisut.valtioneuvosto.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/75232/okm5.pdf?sequence=1

HPK's C-junior teams expenses for a year from a year ago were 3420€ per player, 17 500€ for bus trips and 15 000€. That's covered mostly by the parents.

With that said, as well as a previous post saying it's just as bad as in the US, I wonder why these cost of playing hockey articles and opinions only seem to pertain to Canada.

So many people here say the cost of playing hockey is what contributes to the myth that minor hockey is dying in Canada (Minor hockey registration in Canada actually higher than it's ever been).

Hockey is expensive everywhere, why only make it out to be a Canadian problem?

 

[Yukon Joe]

So many people here say the cost of playing hockey is what contributes to the myth that minor hockey is dying in Canada (Minor hockey registration in Canada actually higher than it's ever been).

My understanding is that it is not minor hockey registration that is up - but registration with Hockey Canada. And that's been driven by Hockey Canada pushing a lot of adult leagues to go and register.

 

[Jussi]

With that said, as well as a previous post saying it's just as bad as in the US, I wonder why these cost of playing hockey articles and opinions only seem to pertain to Canada.

So many people here say the cost of playing hockey is what contributes to the myth that minor hockey is dying in Canada (Minor hockey registration in Canada actually higher than it's ever been).

Hockey is expensive everywhere, why only make it out to be a Canadian problem?

The middle class or upper middle class is not as big in Canada as south of the boarder due to obvious population difference. Because Canada has the largest amount of players, logic dictates it's most affected by lower income families opting out of hockey for financial reasons.

 

[DudeWhereIsMakar]

All the NHLers in ten years are going to likely be the kids of current NHLers, like how Brady and Matthew Tkachuk are in the NHL.

 

[AchtzehnBaby]

It is really hard here in Toronto. Depending on where you live makes a big difference. My kid plays in NYHL

$500 for house league - 1 game + practice /week

$1200 - $4000 for Select - 1 game + 2 practices / week (includes two local tournaments). If you have a travel tournament, add $1200 for costs hotel and food, etc.

Gear = $300 to $500 of you want new everything.

If you want GTHL - $3000+ (no house league required)

That is a lot, IMO

 

[SCBlueLiner]

Travel hockey in the United States is insanely expensive, and battles the same issues as Canada. Maybe even larger due to the travel budget. Although, there are more sports-related scholarships to prep-schools and community involvement on things like Minnesota high school hockey.

I'm not sure covering more sports-related things is really a use of taxes. And, its not just taxes in certain European countries, its nationalization of certain industries and sovereign wealth funds (for example, Canada could never successfully replicate Norway's model).

Minnesota (I would also add Wisconsin and North Dakota) are the best/cheapest places in the country to play hockey. Community owned and operated rinks and community based teams keep the costs contained. Travel hockey in these areas only cost a couple thousand to play, and I do say only because relative to what is spent elsewhere that is cheap. There is such a large concentration of teams in these areas that the travel budget doesn't get blown out. If you live in the Twin Cities you'll probably only play a couple of overnight tournaments a year when you venture outstate, and that isn't even necessary. Outdoor ice is readily available with the community parks and rec departments maintaining outdoor ice so you can get plenty of hours honing your game on free ice. High school hockey is still a thing and is a legitimate path to higher levels of hockey and it is cheap to play HS hockey.

Elsewhere in the country, if you aren't playing AAA or Prep you could be the best player in the country but nobody is going to find you. Scouts aren't hanging around the local club high school league.

 

[SCBlueLiner]

Do they even make these anymore? Honest question.

I picked up ice hockey this year again after a 10-year hiatus, and I can’t find a wooden stick (I miss my Sherwoods). Besides the fact you can barely find a good stick for under $100, I feel like I’m playing with a pool noodle using a composite stick.

You can buy wooden Sherwood (5030 or 9950) sticks online for about $30.

For young kids it is actually cheaper to buy a discounted composite stick for just under $50. It will last multiple seasons and can be extended as the young kid grows by using extension plugs. No more mushy, splintering heels with better performance than a wood stick.

There is a lot of value in hockey equipment these days. You can blow the budget, but you can also buy quality equipment for a reasonable price.

 

[stealth1]

Who says your kid has to play in travel leagues or higher. Nothing wrong with playing house league and buying used equipment.

 

[Henkka]

Pretty much all North American sports other than football are moving to expensive travel leagues, academies, etc if your kid wants to play competitively past high school age. Hockey equipment is pretty cheap in comparison. Not sure how it gets solved.

Be Walter Gretzky and have the academy by yourself.

 

[sawchuk1971]

I grew up with cheap parents when I was playing hockey in elementary, middle and high school. While all the other kids had the new Easton Synergys that came out, or that new Bauer Vapor XXX Lite, I was ‘stuck’ with sticks like (remember these??) Mission M-1, Koho Revolution, or the TPS response-line (greatest sticks ever made). And they all worked fine for me!

it’s been touched upon on this thread, but it’s not the stick or the skate that makes the player, but the player themselves. I can’t see spending 800 dollar CCM skates when you can literally buy another model of CCM for 150 bucks.





That’s why I’m happy places like Facebook Marketplace and SidelineSwap exist.

did you get clowned for wearing cheap equipment?

 

[Smirnov2Chistov]

did you get clowned for wearing cheap equipment?

honestly? yes, especially in high school. TPS would’ve been proud, could’ve been sponsored by them lol. Knee pads, chest protector, gloves and stick were by the same manufacturer because all the other brands were expensive for my parents to get me.

the teasing was more annoying than anything: ‘Dude those sticks suck!’. Yeah, they probably sucked, but I had success with it. Funny thing is, have yet to find a stick that was/IS as Whippy as the TPS R10.

 

[sawchuk1971]

It is really hard here in Toronto. Depending on where you live makes a big difference. My kid plays in NYHL

$500 for house league - 1 game + practice /week

$1200 - $4000 for Select - 1 game + 2 practices / week (includes two local tournaments). If you have a travel tournament, add $1200 for costs hotel and food, etc.

Gear = $300 to $500 of you want new everything.

If you want GTHL - $3000+ (no house league required)

That is a lot, IMO

thats ridiculous.....

 

[sawchuk1971]

Minnesota (I would also add Wisconsin and North Dakota) are the best/cheapest places in the country to play hockey. Community owned and operated rinks and community based teams keep the costs contained. Travel hockey in these areas only cost a couple thousand to play, and I do say only because relative to what is spent elsewhere that is cheap. There is such a large concentration of teams in these areas that the travel budget doesn't get blown out. If you live in the Twin Cities you'll probably only play a couple of overnight tournaments a year when you venture outstate, and that isn't even necessary. Outdoor ice is readily available with the community parks and rec departments maintaining outdoor ice so you can get plenty of hours honing your game on free ice. High school hockey is still a thing and is a legitimate path to higher levels of hockey and it is cheap to play HS hockey.

Elsewhere in the country, if you aren't playing AAA or Prep you could be the best player in the country but nobody is going to find you. Scouts aren't hanging around the local club high school league.

i've heard hockey is on the decline in minnesota due to the cost of the sport and increase number of non-white immigration.....

 

[Barclay Donaldson]

i've heard hockey is on the decline in minnesota due to the cost of the sport and increase number of non-white immigration.....

What you've heard is not true. The number of kids participating in USA Hockey-sanctioned programs has increased every single year this past decade, save for 2013 where the lockout hit every single state. Michigan is the only cold-weather culture state that is experiencing anything other than growth.