The private school education of NHL All-Stars

[Brent Burns]

To add to that, it’s even more difficult in the western US. Not only are there basically no younger level school teams, there just isn’t a lot of ice. Only the very major metropolitan areas have rinks and even then, they are prohibitively expensive/ice time is difficult to find. These two things are the sole reasons I was unable to play as a kid.

 

[heilongjetsfan]

When I was a kid, we were constantly on the brink of homelessness, but there were so many programs that gave us access to free or very heavily discounted equipment/club fees. The biggest problem was that it was a really embarrassing process. We basically had to declare and then prove our poverty to our neighbours - the parents of my classmates. Everyone on my team knew I was a charity case. Stunningly, there was real resentment from the parents who'd had to pay their own kids' way. I had a ppg season as a minor peewee rookie with bad skating, but nobody minded reminding me or my single mom that we didn't belong there.

Economically, it doesn't have to be a rich kids' game, culturally, it totally is.

 

[violaswallet]

When I was a kid, we were constantly on the brink of homelessness, but there were so many programs that gave us access to free or very heavily discounted equipment/club fees. The biggest problem was that it was a really embarrassing process. We basically had to declare and then prove our poverty to our neighbours - the parents of my classmates. Everyone on my team knew I was a charity case. Stunningly, there was real resentment from the parents who'd had to pay their own kids' way. I had a ppg season as a minor peewee rookie with bad skating, but nobody minded reminding me or my single mom that we didn't belong there.

Economically, it doesn't have to be a rich kids' game, culturally, it totally is.

I'm so sorry that you had the experience

 

[Golden_Jet]

Competitive figure skating is expensive as well, skate boots were 1000 bucks plus 550 bucks for the blades to put on them plus taxes.
Kids were on the ice about 20 hours a week, so ice time and coach fees and travelling most weekends definitely added up, but at the same time a proud parent.

 

[loudi94]

You really think public school is better than private school? Where the heck do you live where this is the case?

Heck, class size alone, forget anything else, makes this not true.

Are Private Schools Better than Public Schools? – IPE/BC

In 2011, OECD’s analysis of PISA results found that while students in private schools tended to outperform their public school peers, the difference was primarily the result of the higher socio-economic status of private school families.
“Students in public schools in a similar socio-economic context as private schools tend to do equally well,” according to the OECD report, which concluded that “there is no evidence to suggest that private schools help to raise the level of performance of the school system, as a whole” (OECD, Private schools: Who benefits?)

 

[NJ DevLolz]

Private schools are better than public schools.

False. Private school is a scam. Especially in states with strong public schools

 

[MadLuke]

Of the 37 North American players named to this year's NHL All-Star game or filling in as replacements, 15 — or 40 per cent

Feel like the article could have said "most went to public school, showing that you really do not need private school education in most hockey nation to become an elite hockey player"

 

[greasysnapper]

Look at the source, CBC is garbage news.

They probably don't even realize that skill bequeaths interest from these private schools, and a lot of those privately schooled kids aren't coming from wealthy families, but rather families that have to scrimp, and work hard to put their kids through hockey.

 

[LokiDog]

Interesting story in the CBC this morning.

This has been talked about before but it is amazing the number of elite players that come from private schools.

“Of the 37 North American players named to this year's NHL All-Star game or filling in as replacements, 15 — or 40 per cent — attended private school. It's a statistic that reinforces the notion that hockey, particularly at its very highest levels, is increasingly a sport not just for those who can afford it, but for those in the highest tax brackets.”

https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.5437356

The flip side is that if you are talented enough to be a future pro you are likely going to get to go to private school for less than the average joe, possible free, so the numbers do not necessarily equate to a one for one correlation between wealth and success.

 

[JTToilinginToronto]

What's crazy is the kids that don't need a free ride get one because of course their kids are better. Their kids are better because they have the best equipment, they go the to best clinics and a lot of them, they do off ice training and they are able to be on the ice all the time because they can afford to play with the best travel programs.

It's an insanely vicious circle.

So in other words, life isn't fair.

I agree that the NHL should spend some money making the game more accessible to lower income families, but are we really going to bash the schools for only giving scholarships to the best players who can provide a return on investment (aka help their hockey program win)?

 

[Eye Test]

It’s called blyth

 

[serp]

Look at the source, CBC is garbage news.

They probably don't even realize that skill bequeaths interest from these private schools, and a lot of those privately schooled kids aren't coming from wealthy families, but rather families that have to scrimp, and work hard to put their kids through hockey.

Like i said earlier . The article is kind of badly written but the overarching point isn't wrong . Some people personal dislike for the CBC ( i don't really give a shit about it since i'm not canadian or american ) make them completely blind to the point that hockey youth programs ( the ones before the private schools mostly ) are not exactly attractive to get into and that prevents many parents from ever registering their kids for hockey . So stop humping on the source because you dislike it for whatever reason.

 

[Fantomas]

Income inequality is partly the reason why Canada's grasp on hockey supremacy has been slipping. And the only reason it's been slipping so slowly, rather than rapidly, is that other countries are facing the exact same problem.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

It always amazes me that hating people because of their economic status is an acceptable stance by so many. It is blind hatred and that is never a good thing no matter how you want to contextualizing that, hate is hate.

 

[serp]

It always amazes me that hating people because of their economic status is an acceptable stance by so many. It is blind hatred and that is never a good thing no matter how you want to contextualizing that, hate is hate.

I don't know there's this wierd stigma that if you are poor its because of something you did wrong and you are punished for it. Hell it works the other way around as well . Just because someone is rich means for some they must be good people are rewarded for it. Hell thats how the whole prosperity gospel scam works where people get scammed by fake televangelists preachers who in return live like kings off their scammed flock .

Not sure where that originated . Think its some wierd protestant sects or something that went over to north america. Some of those had some f***ed up sense of religious belief.

 

[greasysnapper]

Like i said earlier . The article is kind of badly written but the overarching point isn't wrong . Some people personal dislike for the CBC ( i don't really give a **** about it since i'm not canadian or american ) make them completely blind to the point that hockey youth programs ( the ones before the private schools mostly ) are not exactly attractive to get into and that prevents many parents from ever registering their kids for hockey . So stop humping on the source because you dislike it for whatever reason.

The CBC is very left leaning and it's constantly trying to disenfranchise Canadian culture. So... no thanks. I'll continue to "hump" the source.

 

[MikeyMike01]

It's one thing to be a niche sport due to lack of interest, it's another to be one due to lack of opportunity.

Hockey requires a long list of specialized equipment and, in most climates, an ice rink.

It will never be as affordable or accessible as sports that require little more than a ball and some dirt.

 

[serp]

The CBC is very left leaning and it's constantly trying to disenfranchise Canadian culture. So... no thanks. I'll continue to "hump" the source.

I don't exactly see how that article does that because the points its trying to make , however clumsily written it may be , is that if the part of the Canadian culture that has hockey as the countries #1 sport is be a thing in the future there needs to be some change made towards availability or its becoming much more of a niche sport because its just not a viable option for enough people with how costs have exploded in recent years. I don't see how that is even a left or right argument . Its just a fact . How you deal with that or don't deal with it is where that starts but the cost argument is correct and it doesn't matter who makes it.

 

[serp]

Hockey requires a long list of specialized equipment and, in most climates, an ice rink.

It will never be as affordable or accessible as sports that require little more than a ball and some dirt.

While i agree with that . The thing is hockey is Canadas #1 Sport ( or was for such a long time ) . If Canadians want that to continue there need to be some changes made to how certain things work in the youth systems or it will be niche in Canada as well.

 

[A4T1L6]

It’s called blyth

Blyth has absolutely no hockey talent go to any of their campuses

 

[Regal]

Hockey requires a long list of specialized equipment and, in most climates, an ice rink.

It will never be as affordable or accessible as sports that require little more than a ball and some dirt.

Oh for sure. It'll always have that hurdle. But it can only be a good thing to try to make it as accessible as possible for those that want to play and those that have the potential for a higher level. So when it comes to being a "niche" sport as the poster was talking about, I agree that I don't think there's anything wrong with that from a fan perspective, since the game is still strong enough that there's a good product on the ice, but the downside is a lack of opportunity that greater popularity would help.

 

[Atas2000]

Yes, Hockey’s generally a rich White guy sport.

I love it how it right away becomes a aracial discussion for no reason. It's a rich guys' sport. Period.

 

[Atas2000]

Interesting story in the CBC this morning.

This has been talked about before but it is amazing the number of elite players that come from private schools.

“Of the 37 North American players named to this year's NHL All-Star game or filling in as replacements, 15 — or 40 per cent — attended private school. It's a statistic that reinforces the notion that hockey, particularly at its very highest levels, is increasingly a sport not just for those who can afford it, but for those in the highest tax brackets.”

https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.5437356

Old news. USD400 hockey sticks and stuff.

It actually hurts the level of hockey we get as the talent pool is extremely limited even in the few countries where the sport is popular.

In the days of bad, bad, evil, evil Soviet Union the socialism sorted it out in the socialist countries at least where access to hockey wasn't depending on parents' income. Now it's the same everywhere.

 

[Devilsfan992]

Thats actually less than I thought it would be

Same thought. Figure it was greater than 80%.

 

[Jumptheshark]

Interesting story in the CBC this morning.

This has been talked about before but it is amazing the number of elite players that come from private schools.

“Of the 37 North American players named to this year's NHL All-Star game or filling in as replacements, 15 — or 40 per cent — attended private school. It's a statistic that reinforces the notion that hockey, particularly at its very highest levels, is increasingly a sport not just for those who can afford it, but for those in the highest tax brackets.”

https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.5437356

been like that for awhile. When I was growing up my friends who got to higher levels only were able to afford to play because they were hired in some of the local sporting good stores where they earned money during the summer time and bought their equipment with staff discounts.

Here is Europe, in Scandinavian countries at least it is not that bad