Would Walter Gretzky, as a member the working class, will be able to afford hockey today?

[FLAMESFAN]

Michael Ferland's story....wasn't he just skating on the public rinks and parents got togther to help pay his fees?

 

[Mickey Marner]

Not for five kids, but maybe one or two.

 

[TheOtherOne]

If you can handle budgeting, you can afford a lot more things than you think.

Make your coffee at home and eat less AvOcAdO tOaSt

 

[JMUcapsfan07]

If you can handle budgeting, you can afford a lot more things than you think.

I feel like this line of thinking has been pushed down people's throats for years and I'm convinced it's dangerous and contributes to a lot of problems we are facing as a society and has the potential to get a lot worse.

I'm fortunate in that I have done okay so far in my career but the data doesn't lie - wages have stagnated for years and the wealth gap has continued to grow. The cost of living for pretty much anything has grown exponentially and children's sports has become big business compared to even when I grew up in the 90s. I don't doubt for a second that hockey, especially higher level hockey is out of reach for most families.

 

[Jeremy Hronek]

Travel teams in any sport are expensive, I think people forget this, its not just hockey.

 

[Sky04]

This is exaggerated, you can easily support 1-2 kids in hockey, The MAJORITY of the CHL is composed of kids from the middle class.

 

[Tom Polakis]

Competitive minor hockey in Canada can cost a family $10-15K/yr (ice time, travel, tournaments, $300 sticks, $500 skates... aint cheap)
House league hockey can cost a family $2-3K/year

This is way out of reach for a lot of families.

So in other words, if you could just get your shit together irrespective of income, and budget properly, that $10K per year will become available easily?

I think that's the nature of the OP's question. Are there many stories of current NHL-ers from lower-income families? Even outlier stories involving how they afforded it might be interesting.

 

[ottomaddox]

Housing prices have always been fairly cheap in Brantford. I would say yes.

 

[Sky04]

Yes.
I know plenty of "Working class" people who's kids play hockey.

Like, WTF??

No kidding, or the people who thinks every kid has $300 sticks and $1500 equipment.


There's expensive development programs for EVERY sport, people do know that NBA and NFL prospects are going to 60-70k/year tuition high schools in the USA right?

 

[canuck2010]

Nah, blue collar wages have been stagnant and inequality has grown since the late 80's. You have to spend crazy money just for pre-school these days never mind hockey. There is a reason why millennials such as myself don't plan on having kids and I work in finance.

Don't want to turn this into a political discussion but perhaps we should consult the "Captains of Industry" lol.

I know many places have exchange programs for equipment that can keep kids equipped but the real problem is that kids hockey has become a money making venture. Summer hockey leagues, tutoring, hockey academies, hockey schools for everything, cities charging crazy high costs for ice, the costs of registration, snazzy uniforms home and away, tournaments all over the place. Adults are f***ing up a kids game. You want to play with your friends. In Canada fewer kids are able to play especially newer Canadians. Maybe I'm an old man screaming at clouds but I think it sad.

 

[Sol]

If you can handle budgeting, you can afford a lot more things than you think.

Yup. Just bring smarter with your money will make you more wealthy. And once you have a little bit of an egg, you can do simple investing.

 

[Sol]

Make your coffee at home and eat less AvOcAdO tOaSt

"AVOCADO TOAST IS A HUMAN RIGHT"

 

[pt_mck]

So in other words, if you could just get your shit together irrespective of income, and budget properly, that $10K per year will become available easily?

I think that's the nature of the OP's question. Are there many stories of current NHL-ers from lower-income families? Even outlier stories involving how they afforded it might be interesting.

Median family income in Canada is $60K, finding $15K to play hockey is tough.

 

[LMFAO]

Recreational hockey ? Yes.
Elite hockey ? No.

 

[Tom Polakis]

Median family income in Canada is $60K, finding $15K to play hockey is tough.

That's right. I didn't use the sarcasm emoji as I should have.

 

[SomeDude]

I feel like this line of thinking has been pushed down people's throats for years and I'm convinced it's dangerous and contributes to a lot of problems we are facing as a society and has the potential to get a lot worse.

I'm fortunate in that I have done okay so far in my career but the data doesn't lie - wages have stagnated for years and the wealth gap has continued to grow. The cost of living for pretty much anything has grown exponentially and children's sports has become big business compared to even when I grew up in the 90s. I don't doubt for a second that hockey, especially higher level hockey is out of reach for most families.

I didn't say that you can afford anything in the world. I'm drawing from my personal experience. Before I met my wife I was pretty terrible with money and felt like I could barely keep my head above water. Since then, I've taken a pay cut to get a better work/life balance and am living very comfortably.

Not everyone can afford hundreds of dollars a month to send their kid to some washed up pro's weekend camp so they can get exposure, but (at least in my area) most of the elite teams offer "scholarships" to players if they're good enough to help their program and the only thing keeping them from playing is the financial burden. Even at my small rural high school where our hockey team barely had enough kids to fill a roster, the best players would get free ride offers from a local prep school if we were good enough. If another Wayne Gretzky ever comes around, he'll get noticed regardless of economic status.

There are also a lot of great programs to get free equipment...again, at least in my area. You have to do your homework, but there are other options than getting a 2nd mortgage or being wealthy.

The price of hockey is absolutely insane, though, and the main reason that it will never be as popular as basketball and football where most kids grow up playing for very cheap/free.

 

[Amazinmets73]

I think it still would have happened. Wayne honed his talent on a backyard ice rink as a youth in Ontario. It may be a degree or so warmer these days due to climate change, but that wouldn't impend Walter.

Worst case scenario is Walter can only afford house league for Wayne. Wayne plays house league and proceeds to score 250 goals. Trust me, in the days of social media no one is letting a kid with that level of talent languish in house league due to finances. Someone would put the money up.

I think this question applies to players who may have ended up as replacement level pro players; not The Great One.

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

My experience in the US: If you’re at a high level by the right age, it doesn’t matter how much your parents make. You will have access to everything if you’re a good enough player.

Not to say that there’s not an advantage for those with deep pocketed families. If your kid has ok talent and can make decent club teams, for sure there are those who can essentially buy further development through non stop coaching, clinics, lessons, camps, etc that a middle class family couldn’t afford.

For instance, sending an solid but otherwise unspectacular talent to an expensive top HS to take advantage of a pipeline and connections to collegiate programs. That’s a way money can be a factor/advantage.

But I don’t think it plays into youth/HS sports nearly as much as people think in the U.S.

Canada I cannot speak on.

There's expensive development programs for EVERY sport, people do know that NBA and NFL prospects are going to 60-70k/year tuition high schools in the USA right?

Those types of high schools hand out a ton of money too.

 

[Paperbagofglory]

I feel like this line of thinking has been pushed down people's throats for years and I'm convinced it's dangerous and contributes to a lot of problems we are facing as a society and has the potential to get a lot worse.

I'm fortunate in that I have done okay so far in my career but the data doesn't lie - wages have stagnated for years and the wealth gap has continued to grow. The cost of living for pretty much anything has grown exponentially and children's sports has become big business compared to even when I grew up in the 90s. I don't doubt for a second that hockey, especially higher level hockey is out of reach for most families.

Human beings adapt to their environment and the smart ones that aren't living at the high end of society still make it work. How you may ask? Well look at the average size of families even 25 years ago and look at them now. Things get a lot more affordable when you stop popping out kids at an unreasonable rate. It went from 3 or 4 kids to a family to 1 or 2 and even none at all.

The solution should be to pour all your resources into 1 or 2 kids instead. The era of the large family in the west is pretty much over.

How does this relate to hockey? shut up that's why!

 

[Tom Polakis]

No kidding, or the people who thinks every kid has $300 sticks and $1500 equipment.


There's expensive development programs for EVERY sport, people do know that NBA and NFL prospects are going to 60-70k/year tuition high schools in the USA right?

U.S. basketball and football players develop in college, where they have been given sports scholarships. Equipment and travel expenses for their parents are minimal.

Hockey is unique in that regard. Since I am out of the loop, I'm asking if there is the equivalent of "scholarships" routinely given out at the Junior level, where future NHL players are developed.

 

[TGWL]

There's a lot more indoor leagues/rinks today. I think the real question is would Wayne have fell in love with the game as much if he wasn't skating on ice outside with his Dad/friends in the backyard?

 

[Rabid Ranger]

I think it's fair to say that times have changed. It does in fact cost a lot of money in any sport for a promising kid to develop and become a professional. Whether that money ends up coming from the family or other benefactors is a different discussion. The vast majority of parents who are shelling out tens of thousands of $$$ per year for their kids' sports are in the end feeding delusions.

 

[GreatSaveEssensa]

Yes.
I know plenty of "Working class" people who's kids play hockey.

Like, WTF??

Big difference between playing hockey and playing hockey in the country's upper tiers which is whats required now a days to make the Show

 

[Confucius]

Gretzky would have played hockey even if his dad wouldn't have been able to afford it. I've seen parents and teams band together to get equipment for kids that couldn't afford the game. Parents of teammates volunteered to take players to tournaments who otherwise wouldn't be able to go. I worked with a guy that had a tryout with the Islanders as a goalie back in the seventies. The guy never owned his own pads.

 

[MadLuke]

There's expensive development programs for EVERY sport, people do know that NBA and NFL prospects are going to 60-70k/year tuition high schools in the USA right?

There is many NBA-NFL level prospect in those sport that are not on full scholarship at those big high school ?