All four ice rinks at Susan Fennell Sportsplex are full of action on this winter Saturday morning, the air filled with the sound of hockey skates grinding through ice and pucks clanging off the glass.
The scene is as familiar as the sunrise in countless rinks across Canada. Hockey remains a beloved pastime, a source of pride and joy and something that has knitted the vast nation together for more than 150 years.
Behind the scenes of the goals and celebrations is an alarming trend: Youth hockey participation in the cradle of the sport has decreased by nearly a third over the past decade and a half, a decline that began well before the pandemic from a peak of over half a million kids taking part as recently as 2010.
Because of growing costs for everything from equipment and ice time to specialized coaching and travel programs, families are choosing other sports like soccer and basketball over hockey. There are concerns about the future of grassroots hockey in the country that has nourished it into the popular, vibrant sport that is seeing growth elsewhere, including the United States.
B次元官网网址淚t does sadden me,B次元官网网址� said Alex Klimsiak, who coaches two teams in Brampton as his way to giving back to the game he still plays recreationally in suburban Toronto at the age of 44. B次元官网网址淓nrollmentB次元官网网址檚 probably been declining for the last five, six years. Definitely before the pandemic you could see it. A pandemic just put a magnifying glass and escalated it.B次元官网网址�
In 2022, about two months after Canada celebrated what was then its 18th world junior hockey championship, the CEO of hockey equipment giant Bauer, Ed Kinnaly, declared: B次元官网网址淭he number of kids getting involved in hockey in Canada is spiraling downward B次元官网网址� but nobodyB次元官网网址檚 talking about that.B次元官网网址�
At the time, Hockey Canada reported 340,365 youths younger than 18 participating in the sport, a 35% drop from 523,785 just 13 years earlier. That number slightly rebounded in 2023 to 360,031, but is still some 15% below pre-pandemic levels even while soccer and tennis numbers in Canada have already recovered.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 concerned but IB次元官网网址檓 not panicked,B次元官网网址� Kinnaly told The Associated Press earlier this year. B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 concerned obviously at what the numbers say. IB次元官网网址檓 not panicked because I do believe that the sport is evolving. I do think the right people B次元官网网址� the National Hockey League, USA Hockey, Hockey Canada, private corporations B次元官网网址� are all starting to have the honest dialogue with each other, which is, A, weB次元官网网址檝e got to stop talking about whatB次元官网网址檚 wrong and, B, weB次元官网网址檝e got to start investing in change for the sake of the sport.B次元官网网址�
Choices beyond hockey
Few things are more closely associated with Canada than hockey, a place where kids and adults alike look forward to winter and lakes and so they can lace up their skates, push a net out and play some shinny. When Canada faced the U.S. in the 2010 Olympic final on home ice in Vancouver, half the countryB次元官网网址檚 total population watched Sidney Crosby score the B次元官网网址済olden goal,B次元官网网址� etched into national lore. Millions are watching Edmonton this spring as the Oilers try to end the
Yet the sport may no longer be the go-to for kids in Canada. According to the released last summer by Solutions Research Group, soccer is the top choice at 16%, followed by swimming, hockey and basketball. Raw participation numbers for the sports are not comparable given differences in registration requirements across various governing bodies.
Parents cited financial issues as their top concern (58%), followed by family care and youth mental health, including bullying. There are some concerns, too, that the time needed for practices and drills even at the lower levels of competitive hockey is part of the problem.
B次元官网网址淚t definitely is a big commitment,B次元官网网址� said Priyanka Kwatra, whose 10-year-old son Shawn has developed a love for the sport and plays in suburban Toronto. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a very time-consuming sort of sport.B次元官网网址�
Time-consuming in large part because of the limited availability of ice that pushes practices and games to very early in the morning or late at night. Many youth programs train nine months or more per year, on the ice three to five times a week along with off-ice workouts.
When her husband, Amit, first looked at equipment for Shawn, the $1,000 price tag was a shock. Add to that limits on available ice for practices or for fun and games and basketball or soccer suddenly seem easier.
B次元官网网址淕etting someone into hockey, itB次元官网网址檚 not as simple as getting someone into soccer where you just need a soccer ball,B次元官网网址� Amit Kwatra said. B次元官网网址淗ockey, the amount of gear thatB次元官网网址檚 required in order to kind of get the game started is a lot, and I think that is the biggest barrier for a lot of people that initiate their kids into hockey.B次元官网网址�
Other sports can also feel like a safer choice than hockey with its speed, hits and sharp skates. Gianfranco Talarico is the founder of Daredevil Hockey, which has been making cut-proof gear for more than a decade. He said his companyB次元官网网址檚 feedback and surveys have shown safety and cost are the biggest things hindering a more rapid growth of the sport.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 so intertwined in the fabric of Canadians,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚f we donB次元官网网址檛 collectively focus on making hockey a safer sport, the potential brand equity of hockey in general will start to diminish.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址楶rofessionalization of hockeyB次元官网网址�
During All-Star Weekend in Toronto, the NHL put on a youth event in nearby York. With daughter Sharon, Priyanka and Amit watched their son on the ice, he and more than 100 other young players all in their first set of gear provided by Bauer as part of NHL/NHLPA First Shift, one of many learn-to-play efforts intended to keep hockey in CanadaB次元官网网址檚 bloodlines.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a low-cost entry point, and then it obviously is able to accelerate growth because it provides opportunity,B次元官网网址� said Matt Herr, a former NHL player who is now the leagueB次元官网网址檚 senior director of youth hockey and industry growth. B次元官网网址淓specially in Canada, weB次元官网网址檙e competing now where it used to be the pastime. B次元官网网址� it was everybodyB次元官网网址檚 first choice, and now thereB次元官网网址檚 all these different choices and weB次元官网网址檝e got to make sure weB次元官网网址檙e still everybodyB次元官网网址檚 first choice.B次元官网网址�
Herr and others know the equipment costs are potentially becoming a barrier. The quality of sticks, helmets and pads has increased sharply thanks to technological advances, but with that comes higher pricing B次元官网网址� and with that comes the risk of leaving out lower-income families eager to try hockey, especially with higher levels of the sport running nearly year-round.
Rachael Bishop for her 2017 at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, found a massive gap between the household incomes of families in hockey compared with other sports, an indication of the means necessary to afford it.
B次元官网网址淚 do think itB次元官网网址檚 more so probably a factor of cost, and weB次元官网网址檙e seeing it become prohibitively expensive now,B次元官网网址� Bishop told The AP. B次元官网网址淵ou see the professionalization of hockey: ItB次元官网网址檚 a full-year sport now: YouB次元官网网址檝e got to join summer leagues, you want to get all the best equipment. Then thereB次元官网网址檚 always like power-skating lessons, summer camps, so I think a lot of it is cost more so than anything.B次元官网网址�
Klimsiak, the Brampton coach, estimated that the cost of being on a competitive team B次元官网网址� the ones that travel to tournaments and have multiple set practice times as opposed to recreational teams B次元官网网址� starts at $4,000, with some teams charging $10,000 or more. He said some Toronto hockey organizations are combining resources because there arenB次元官网网址檛 enough players to go around.
B次元官网网址淭he cost of the game has gone up,B次元官网网址� said Klimsiak, who has three sons playing, one on his team, which he has trouble finding goaltenders for. B次元官网网址淩eferee costs have gone up. ItB次元官网网址檚 tough. ItB次元官网网址檚 proportional. ItB次元官网网址檚 like cost of living, so everythingB次元官网网址檚 gone up and now unfortunately the parents have to pay more.B次元官网网址�
Cost is something University of Toronto professor Simon Darnell is all too aware of. The parent of a 9-year-old playing competitive hockey, the expert in sports culture and sociology calls costs one of the B次元官网网址渆xclusionary practices in hockey that go back a long time,B次元官网网址� along with the culture of winning and the obsession over climbing up to the next team.
Darnell, acknowledging the willingness to shell out money for ice and other expenses, also understands the early-morning, nearly year-round aspect of hockey is one of factors keeping some out.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 like if you donB次元官网网址檛 want to participate in hockey on those terms, then there isnB次元官网网址檛 as much space for you I think as there should be,B次元官网网址� Darnell said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 if you donB次元官网网址檛 want to play by those rules, then there isnB次元官网网址檛 space for you and then you go and play a different sport.B次元官网网址�
Stopping the slide
A further concern: Are there enough ice rinks to accommodate hockey as a source of fun and character-building for children? CanadaB次元官网网址檚 population, now nearly 40 million, has doubled in 50 years, and the International Ice Hockey Federation reports there are still just 2,860 indoor ice rinks across the sprawling country. Renting ice can cost hundreds of dollars just for 1-2 hours.
Kinnaly pointed to a 2019 Parks and Recreation Ontario plan to invest $2 billion over the next two decades on 45 new soccer fields, 30 basketball courts, 18 indoor pools and a single hockey rink as further cause for concern
B次元官网网址淭he number of rinks that are in disrepair or have closed further compresses the availability of ice time,B次元官网网址� Kinnaly said. B次元官网网址淚f there arenB次元官网网址檛 places for people to play, itB次元官网网址檚 going to continue to be a headwind, a real challenge.B次元官网网址�
Programs like First Shift and ScotiabankB次元官网网址檚 Hockey For All are among the steps being taken to stop the slide. Kinnaly said BauerB次元官网网址檚 program has been B次元官网网址渋mmensely successfulB次元官网网址� at not only getting kids into hockey but keeping them, with a retention rate around 60%, and has discussed ways of introducing new Canadians to the game like equipment being part of the welcome package upon signing up for a checking account.
But there are still systemic issues, from crumbling infastruture and a lack of new rinks to inflationary pressure on pricing.
The woes are not being seen at the NHL level, where and fan interest is growing. In the U.S., youth hockey participation has slowly grown to nearly 400,000 registered players, surpassing Canada in 2021.
Instead, the existential crisis for the home of hockey exists at places like the Brampton rink, where the players and fans of tomorrow are developed. There are encouraging signs, such as hockey still being the preferred sports for First Nations youth and nearly 40% of First Shift participants being girls as the womenB次元官网网址檚 game gets more attention B次元官网网址� but the overall trend has presented a painful question that must be answered.
B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 think hockey can rest on its position in a way that it used to, and thereB次元官网网址檚 part of me thatB次元官网网址檚 OK with that,B次元官网网址� said Darnell, the Toronto professor. B次元官网网址淚 think it makes sense if weB次元官网网址檙e going to invest in hockey in Canada as somehow representative of Canadian culture that we actually need to think about what does Canadian culture look like and is it reflected in hockey? Because right now itB次元官网网址檚 not.B次元官网网址�
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