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

[MadLuke]

No different than baseball or basketball. What a shock kids who grew up taking BP or throwing up shots in major league stadiums/arenas are doing well.

Height being so genetic and so big of a factor make basketball a bit different here, having a 6foot7 father instead of a 5foot10 could multiply the odds of being one day in the nba by 1,000, everything else being exactly equal would not surprise me. Having an nhl level athlete as a father probably is a really good advantage genetic wise to make the nhl one day, but to a lesser extent, growing up in that environment and support is probably more what going on, sons of NHL agents do really well at the draft not just players.

But I would have thought there was a difference.

In the US sport tend to be really close to the school system (and scholarship for the prospect), that would make having one of the best development track available to you less linked to your family (in popular enough sport for school to have scouts).

Crosby going at Shattuck-Saint Mary's on a full scholarship, was it expensive for the family ?

 

[Face Of Bear]

To provide a quantitative breakdown of whether Walter Gretzky, as a telephone repairman today, could afford to support his son Wayne in playing hockey, we'll look at three main areas: cost of living, cost of hockey, and average wages.

1. Cost of Living (Ontario, Canada)​

• Housing: Average rent for a 2-3 bedroom apartment in Ontario (2024): $2,200 - $3,000 CAD per month.
• Utilities: Approximately $200 - $300 CAD per month.
• Food: Average grocery costs for a family of four: $1,000 - $1,200 CAD per month.
• Transportation: Public transit or car expenses (gas, insurance, maintenance): $500 - $800 CAD per month.
• Healthcare: Basic healthcare is covered, but additional costs for prescriptions, dental, etc.: $150 - $300 CAD per month.
• Miscellaneous (clothing, entertainment, etc.): $400 - $600 CAD per month.

Total Monthly Cost of Living: $4,450 - $6,200 CAD
Total Annual Cost of Living: $53,400 - $74,400 CAD

2. Cost of Hockey (2024)​

• Equipment (initial purchase): $500 - $1,000 CAD (includes skates, helmet, pads, stick, etc.)
• Annual Equipment Replacement: $300 - $500 CAD (sticks, skates, outgrowing equipment)
• League Fees: $1,000 - $3,000 CAD per year.
• Ice Time: $2,000 - $5,000 CAD per year (depending on frequency and location).
• Travel Costs (tournaments, games): $1,500 - $3,000 CAD per year.
• Coaching/Training: $1,000 - $2,500 CAD per year (for private or specialized coaching).

Total Annual Cost of Hockey: $5,800 - $14,000 CAD

3. Wages (2024)​

• Telephone Repairman (Ontario, Canada):
  • Average Salary: $50,000 - $65,000 CAD per year (before taxes).
  • Take-Home Pay (after taxes): $40,000 - $52,000 CAD per year.

Putting It All Together:​

1. Annual Income:
   • Take-home pay: $40,000 - $52,000 CAD
2. Annual Cost of Living:
   • $53,400 - $74,400 CAD
3. Annual Cost of Hockey:
   • $5,800 - $14,000 CAD

Summary​

• Total Annual Expenses (Cost of Living + Hockey): $59,200 - $88,400 CAD
• Annual Income (after taxes): $40,000 - $52,000 CAD

Deficit: $7,200 - $36,400 CAD per year

Conclusion​

In this scenario, Walter Gretzky, working as a telephone repairman today, would likely struggle to afford the combined costs of living and supporting his son in playing hockey. Even with a modest lifestyle, the expenses of modern hockey are significant and would likely result in a financial deficit unless supplemented by savings, additional income, or financial aid. This illustrates how the rising costs of living and the sport have made hockey less accessible to working-class families today compared to previous decades.

 

[BigGoalBrad]

Knowing how to maintain and working on cell towers is probably a good living these days. There’s no comparable landline job of course.

 

[Fantomas]

Conclusion​

In this scenario, Walter Gretzky, working as a telephone repairman today, would likely struggle to afford the combined costs of living and supporting his son in playing hockey. Even with a modest lifestyle, the expenses of modern hockey are significant and would likely result in a financial deficit unless supplemented by savings, additional income, or financial aid. This illustrates how the rising costs of living and the sport have made hockey less accessible to working-class families today compared to previous decades.

Canada's freaking hellish

 

[danisonfire]

Canada's freaking hellish

Companies routinely forget the exchange rate when offering salaries. They of course remember it when selling goods and services. Canadian salaries with American prices have finally caught up to most workers as the cost of living rises. This has been going on for decades. Companies who pay 100k USD for role X, expand to Canada and then try to offer 100k CDN for the same role when our dollar is worth less. For the price of goods and services, they of course just convert the USD price directly into CDN dollars.

 

[shakes the clown]

As great as Wayne was from an early age he would’ve definitely been on “scholarship” and not paying a dime for hockey stating at a very young age.

 

[danisonfire]

As great as Wayne was from an early age he would’ve definitely been on “scholarship” and not paying a dime for hockey stating at a very young age.

Assuming his father didn't take one look at the cost and say "lets try another sport first". He might have never even stepped foot on the ice to figure that out. That is what is happening today. Soccer, Basketball and other sports that are much more accessible are growing in popularity.

 

[Minnesota Knudsens]

Canada's freaking hellish

The housing market explosion and grocery gouging are relatively recent. For example I bought my house before it all went crazy, and I never paid more than $1300 a month for my mortgage (in Southern Ontario).

Also these days women are mostly required to work. Gone are the days when people used to just pump out 4 or 5 kids without considering finances first (like the Gretzkys).

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

not a chance in hell he could afford it , but in todays world waynes mom would probably work ( I don't know if she did or not )

 

[HockeyVirus]

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

Hockey in Canada can easily cost you 10k a year for your kid, nevermind if you have multiple. That is downpayment for a home or an actual retirement level money. Most are picking one or the other in middle class.

As a decently well off guy who could in theory afford it, the chances of making it big is basically 0. I chose to fully fund accounts for my kids future so they can get a good education and have a decent start in life.

 

[triggrman]

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.

We paid over $10k in total my sons last calendar year of travel baseball, after hotels and travel costs. And baseball is supposedly cheap. I’m not factoring in $499 3 piece bats or the 3 $175 wooden bats he broke. Freaking batting gloves are $100.

 

[The Hanging Jowl]

Just basing this on my experience, at least on some of the functioning teams we were on. And it was almost pathetic at times the way parents doted on the kid that looked like he may possibly make the show, even at 10 years old. They wanted to win so badly, and eventually tell stories further down the road that they knew him, they would go out of their way to help him out. If you're the weakest kid on the team, only the kind hearted parents would offer up immediately to get them a lift. That's the problem with the superstar kids that even at 8, are treated like superstars and worshipped by 30-40 year old parents, and learn how to act like privileged kids. I didn't read about Shane Wright but that's what I saw for many years.

Well, that ain't me. In fact, my kid got bumped by Shane Wright from a very talented AAA team because he was playing up a year. I would have had every reason to be bitter. I couldn't have cared less about his progression. I cared more about the d-bags bad-mouthing his family because his dad made the cardinal sin of suggesting the kid would be the first player since Tavares to get exceptional status to be drafted early into the OHL {and he did).

 

[CashMash]

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.

Noooo! You oughta' shoot first and ask questions later, if you know what I mean! I don't think most people ever feel like it's a good time to have kids.

 

[Craig Ludwig]

Well, that ain't me. In fact, my kid got bumped by Shane Wright from a very talented AAA team because he was playing up a year. I would have had every reason to be bitter. I couldn't have cared less about his progression. I cared more about the d-bags bad-mouthing his family because his dad made the cardinal sin of suggesting the kid would be the first player since Tavares to get exceptional status to be drafted early into the OHL {and he did).

I hear you, my experience was my kid was weakest on top Quebec team and coaches never played him, rode the pine, at 10 years old!!!! Pretty pathetic...Hockey is a great sport but many times ruined by d-bag parents and coaches.

 

[DuklaNation]

Yes if both parents worked. It's not unlike many other expenses these days. Honestly, today kids should take a different approach regardless. Seems like it's a industry taking advantage of kids/parents for profit.

 

[Peltz]

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

If you can handle budgeting, you'd realize that hockey costs too much and shouldn't be in the budget.

 

[93LEAFS]

Yes if both parents worked. It's not unlike many other expenses these days. Honestly, today kids should take a different approach regardless. Seems like it's a industry taking advantage of kids/parents for profit.

Could Walter and his wife probably have put Wayne through AAA Hockey in the current environment? Maybe. Could they afford to put through Wayne, Brent and Keith? I'd say that's incredibly unlikely.

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

If you can handle budgeting, you'd realize that hockey costs too much and shouldn't be in the budget.

Exactly if you can handle budgeting your kids are playing soccer

Could Walter and his wife probably have put Wayne through AAA Hockey in the current environment? Maybe. Could they afford to put through Wayne, Brent and Keith? I'd say that's incredibly unlikely.

They would not be able to , let's not sugar coat it , how many kids grew up in that household ?

 

[ZDH]

Canada's freaking hellish

It's hard in these streets.

 

[tarheelhockey]

That is a very good question.

How many Einstein's have there been in developing countries that never had access to proper nutrition or proper education?

What could have been....

There’s no way to measure what is lost through pure lack of opportunity, but it’s really sobering that globally, nearly 25% of people live in poverty, nearly 10% of them in extreme poverty, and close to 15% in war zones.

To put this in perspective, Isaac Newton was one of 500 million living people in his world. Today, over 700 million live in extreme poverty. We are very likely missing great genius from poverty and violence alone, before we even get into other factors.

 

[SENStastic]

lol, thats a rhetorical question. We all know the answer is no.

 

[daver]

If one projects out the OP, there is a chance that Canada's Royal Wedding may have never have happened. My heart shatters just at the thought of that.

 

[Jefe302]

Sports get very expensive, especially with travel teams. But I’ve always wondered about budget paths to the pros.

In Hockey I would imagine a kid playing with used equipment in a local league. If they are committed and practice on their own watching video tutorials running drills. Parents could convert a garage to skating with artificial synthetic ice. So the kid is better than those in the normal league they play in, but they end up playing against themselves in those games. To make it more challenging practice puck control when the opponent is closer even though they have the skill to skate around them. That kind of thing.

The kid then goes to a college with a club team and after a year or so tries to transfer to a D1 school on a scholarship.

This is the most budget friendly path I see. The biggest variable is if the kids talent and drive to improve on their own can offset the cost of specialized coaching and playing with and against better players.

 

[shaner82]

I make about $100k per year. Far more than many others.
I had season tickets for a very long time, so I was able to attend games at cost.
I gave them up this year as I can no longer reasonably afford to go to games. They also raised the prices so high that selling them became difficult.

Yes, I can afford the $250 ticket to get into the game. I live 2.5 hours away though, so driving there and back in the same day is a lot. So I get a hotel. Gas to get up there. Parking. Food. Beer.

It's a minimum $500 night to go to a hockey game. If I take my son, it's almost double that because I'm paying for everything myself.

With the rising cost of everything, I no longer have an extra $500-$1,000 to spend on upper bowl tickets to a hockey game.

Could I afford to go to more games if i drove up and back, didn't eat and didn't drink? Yes. Am I interested in doing that? Not at all. So I just don't bother anymore.

My guess is my son will grow up not being a big fan of the game, mostly due to money. That's not sustainable.

 

[WarriorofTime]

Most likely there is no Gretzky or Lemieux today. Too expensive. They'd play different sports.