Spiraling Costs in Minor Hockey

[Corso]

We don't really discuss this much but mark my words, this is going to be a HUGE PROBLEM with the over-all health of the game....a good piece by Topher Scott....

Tier One Hockey Is Out Of Control | The Hockey Think Tank

If you have a kid that isn’t in love with the game, or parents that aren’t in love with the game – the chances of the kid being an elite hockey player WHEN IT ACTUALLY MATTERS IN YOUR LATER TEEN YEARS go down the drain.

thehockeythinktank.com

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[No Fun Shogun]

To be fair, the costs for any travel sports program can be massive. My cousin played travel baseball throughout grade school and high school, and he seemingly got darted across the Midwest more often than he was in school. Have no clue how much was spent on him for that, and while he was a damn good pitcher at his level, he never got drafted back in the day when the MLB draft was enormous, so apparently even that didn't elevate his skill and profile to warrant rookie-level or indy league consideration.

But it has been pretty well-discussed and acknowledged that the cost of getting into hockey is the biggest reason for why the sport is more niche than football, baseball, and basketball.

As a dad with a young son, let me readily say that I'm very happy that my son's into basketball. Cheap, easy to organize, and about as simple and straightforward as anything to play just about anywhere. Nothing about that is the case for getting into hockey, from time commitment, to intial and subsequent investments into equipment, to general hassle of getting ice time, etc., etc.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Yeah, I don't really see the problem. I had one kid who was athletic enough to be able to play Tier 1. It really did cost at least $20k per year to "keep up with the Joneses". He played with and against NHL draft picks. It's fun while it lasts... if you can afford it. But there is absolutely NO SHORTAGE of players in this category, so it really doesn't affect the overall product at the level of pro hockey. Yes, some kids who can't afford it get left by the wayside. Flip side, kids who CAN afford it - and can afford to further ramp it up to $50k or $100k per year even - get a level of development that turns them into far better players than ever seen before for their level of natural talent. You really don't HAVE to have some kind of natural gift or rare talent to make it... as long as you do truly love the game and work at it and have that financial investment backing you.

You do have to find out near the end of the road that you have the genetics also. At least in terms of size. But by that time, you've already spent the money.

I think the only real problem is that of course some who are "borderline" in terms of being able to really afford it will over-extend themselves financially, or create undue family stresses that cause internal psychological damage within families. Those are definitely problems too. Just at a micro- level instead of a macro- level. It would be a lot better if the "crazy" could be taken out of the process for the good of the kids. But that's the real issue here, not any worry about "the good of the game" or how many top level athletes we graduate into the pros or whatever.