Every facet of hockey is becoming more and more unaffordable to the middle class. How does this surprise anyone when everyone from the equipment manufacturers, to ticketing operators, to Fanatics and the NHL itself, treat the sport as a short term cash grab?

Hockey, like baseball, used to be a working-class sport. Now it costs an arm & a leg just to attend games.

You didn’t include how Canadian teams haven’t won a cup in 3 decades. And that when you watch hockey it’s all ads about gambling. Those are real things.

It’s not just the high cost, it’s the culture. It’s become something for rich snobs spoiled children. Poor kids are often bullied, shunned or cut from the team. The hockey set has become a country club. What’s really sad is the fact that so many super talented kids quit for these reasons long before they’ve realized their potential.

Promoting street hockey at local levels could help capture youth interest, since it's the affordable option.

When you purchase the NHL package and half of your teams' games are blacked out, it's quite frustrating. Also, 80% of the ads have something to do with gambling.

Its simply too expensive. Only rich kids make it. There are exceptions, but it takes dedicated parents who will mortgage years of their lives on the chance their child makes it.

The 2004-2005 NHL lockout also threw hockey’s growth back by at least a decade. It could be a lot higher than where it is now.

I grew up in the 90s in a lower middle class family. I played hockey every year until I was 15. My school had an ODR that I spent my evenings and weekends on through the winter. The custodian would come in early and flood the rink every morning. Some of my best memories are on that rink. Playing against the big kids, laying out some big hits, fake fights, my feet being so cold that I had to crawl home. So many good times. My son has no interest in watching or playing hockey but is obsessed with basketball. At first, I felt a lot of disappointment that he won't have the same experience. Now I see it as a blessing - he still is passionate about a sport and we don't face the financial burdens that come with playing hockey in the modern era.

For Canadian kids. Their only hope growing up to be a successful sports player was hockey. They got all the recognition on TV and were super successful. Now, Canadians are producing good basketball players. The Canadian basketball team took third place in the FIBA World Cup. I say in the next 15 years Soccer will take over the most popular sport over Hockey. The young Canadian superstar all young Canadians look up to is Alphonso Davies. He went from playing MLS soccer with the Vancouver Whitecaps to playing on one of the greatest soccer teams in the world, Bayern Munich. This shows Candian kids that you can make it in other sports. You can be the next Alphonso Davies. I see the CanMNT being super competitive in Concacaf and qualifying for World Cups. Maybe the next biggest Concacaf rivalry will be the USA vs. Canada.

Canada has officially priced itself out of its own game, I went to buy a stick just the other week, I couldn’t find one for under $180, that’s insane, not to mention in southern Ontario we don’t get the winters that we used to so you don’t even get free ice in the winter anymore Forcing you to have to pay to play, plus how Canada handled Covid also really hurt, you basically didn’t have hockey for a year or two, that had a big affect especially to a kid growing up wanting to play and had to choose different sports

It's sad honestly. I'm a 20-year-old hockey fan and sometimes it feels like I'm the only person my age passionate about this sport. I'm playing hockey in Spain now and the best part is seeing that there are people here who love hockey too

Cost and changing demographics/immigration. Surprised you had the courage to mention that!

I have a theory that Wayne Gretzky's aww shucks modesty had a huge effect on how interesting players can be. In the 70s and 80s you had a lot of guys with huge personalities but it plummeted by the late 90s and 2000s. Now if someone even dares to wear the number 66 it's somehow insulting to greats of the past. A necessary but significant change was making helmets mandatory. Players look a lot more homogenous than the days of guys with huge hairdos flapping in the wind and crazy facial hair. The Minnesota high school all hockey hair team is one of the more consistently viral videos in the modern age.

What about TV rights and being hard to see your favorite team? Just look at r/NHL people complain about blackouts. It's as bad as being an MLB fan in Iowa.

Its the cost of playing .

Plenty of reasons for this. Where do we start? No more street hockey? Horrible commercial messages in between games? Boards that advertise and flash and change during game play? Fights over who is worth what? Overpriced tickets? Stupid adds directed at minorities? Cell phone zombies? I could go on and on if I think about it but my head is hurting at this point from just the short list I have above. I would encourage you to go and see house league games played by normal people at regular rinks for free. This is where the heart of it is. Forget product. Its not about that at all its about enjoyment. If your not enjoying the game itself then why bother. Get out to your regular rink and just go for a skate or play pick up.

I was born and raised just outside Toronto. This is true, as kids and teens the world revolved around the Leafs, how they were doing. Constant topic of convo every day. Now, it’s fallen out of the mainstream, where you only know what’s going on if you are a true support. even in the downtown core you may not even be aware the leafs are playing a big playoff game. The Big Hockey supporters when I was young now have kids that are obsessed with soccer, and they have started to get drawn to the sport also. Soccer was once in the fringe and now it is definitely a top 3 in my opinion. Raptors winning in 2019 also increased the popularity of basketball in the city like crazy. Much more parents prefer to put their kids in soccer than hockey as it’s cheaper and seen as safer

As a Canadian, in my neighborhood. Basketball and soccer are the favorites.

im from near detroit, grew up in the 80s 90s, love the red wings , always wanted to play hockey, my parents are fairly well off too, but even they didnt want to pay for me and my brothers to play hockey, expensive equipment and ice time, travel, 6 am practices... its too bad its such an expensive sport to play cuz its def the best team sport

A Canadian team must win the Stanley Cup to turn the tide...this has not happened in 20+ yrs. Title-runs create heroes & interest in the sport, and Canadians are starved of this in NHL vs the older generations...

As an American that is a huge hockey fan I was shocked when I started visiting Canada every summer and figured out that most people there don't watch hockey. More fans than the US, but out of my about 6 or 7 friends I've made only 1 watches hockey.

Hockey is declining in Canada. And there is several reasons as to why. From a shift in identity and culture due to mass immigration, to even the hockey leauges themselves. First and foremost the number one reason is COST. Our family did the math and it costed roughly $4000 dollars a year once you factor in equipment, travel, registration, hotels, tournaments, food, buying 4 bloody sticks a year. Worst part is none of us played anything above Rep. This cost is at least double for AAA and my cousins know this well as they forked out over $10,000 a year to play AAA. It isnt the working class game it use to be. Games are unaffordable: Even going to an OHL game is expensive, tickets are outrageous. I see a larger and larger croud attending low tier Junior B and C games every year. This also plays a factor in growing the game. It simply costs so much money. Canadian Culture: Our culture is shifting due to immigration. Regardless of opinion importing millions of people uncontrollably from other countries is downright incompetent and this WILL have an impact as our country grows. And a negative one too (import the third world, become the third world) The game has changed: Now growing up the goals were cool, the saves were cool and all. But when the gloves came off EVERYONE was watching. This aspect of the game is being phased out and I do not think it is being taken as well as many think. Its no coincidence with the period hockey viewership and registration amongst youth is down so is the fighting. (No I am not advocating for youth brawls) Youth Leauges (yikes): Rule changes have become obsurd. The game is recognized as "dangerous" more than ever as the art of hitting is gone due to not being taught at a young age. Furthermore suspensions can get whipped out for 8+ games for saying swear words. Families aren't spending money (especially for teens) if their kids are gonna get in trouble for swearing. Also ridiculous. Hockey Canada: It seems the face of Canadian hockey gets into controversy after controversy year in year out. No parent wants their kids playing a sport where the countries governing body is hiding assaults players have committed in an attempt to protect the player. This has to stop but I do believe the hockey room culture is improving a bit.

Not a single Canadian NHL team has won the Stanley Cup since the 1992-93 Canadiens, which cemented its decline.

Grew up playing some aaa but mostly aa, in Saskatchewan with my single dad paying every single year. I’m now 28, don’t have a degree, pretty middle class job, solid relationship, not a chance my future kid is playing hockey, and it breaks my heart. Just so expensive on top of everything else in this country rn.

I would argue the rise of streaming impacts television viewership. In addition, COVID played a major part in decline in sport participation in general. Soccer, for instance, once was the king of child participation. Registration has declined rapidly since COVID. From what I've observed, hockey is very expensive and families are participating. However, most clubs provide equipment, registration and resources for those in lower incomes. It's more than a trend.

I remember the 2003/2004 world junior finals. I was in high school and all classes were put on hold and the entire school piled into the cafeteria and they broadcasted the game onto a projector. I wonder if Canadian high schools would do the same today?

Hockey in Canada is becoming unaffordable, highly unpopular and other stuff. Bettman doesn’t try to promote the game here yet it’s still better known in Canada then the us

As a guy who has played hockey since he was 4 in St. Paul. I grew up in a middle/lower class family and I never had the newest gear and it was always a struggle for my family to afford it. It was really bad when I played goalie in middle school and really really bad in high school. And things just get more and more expensive and kids want the newest gear every time so I think that might be a reason and also the NHL marketing is absolutely horrendous. Plus there’s a massive stigma about health concerns which idk if most are true and people just get so very afraid of it. My parents didn’t really care they just wanted me to have fun and from my experience most kids nowadays don’t want to play a sport anymore and rather game or anything else lol

What an amazing video. The research that went into this and the data you shared is incredible and eye opening. I love how you including the path other sports leagues have gone to make efforts to attract fans to their sport. When intermission comes on during an NHL telecast I find something else to do for those 15 mins. It’s dull and you showcased that in a polite way. Well put together video. Very insightful stuff. Thank you.

The best sticks used to be $200-250, then $300 pre covid, now its $400. Double what it was when I was in middle school. Skates? Same thing, from ~$500-700 to $1000+ now. When the middle class struggle to even buy groceries and pay rent thanks in large part to Trudeau, who has money for hockey?

As a canadian interested in hockey myself, i think more and more people are actually playing the sports in beer leagues tho...and the canadian teams in the NHL in the east having a hard time too...doesnt help. But yeah A LOT more kids are playing soccer these days...it's cheaper, easier to get in etc.

For the cheapest ticket to see the leafs play is $120. That's in the nose bleed section. Better off staying home and watching it on tv. For the same price you can get lower bowl seat to watch the red wings play. Nose bleed is $50..

everything you said is 100% true Hockey: Entertaining Hockey people: Lame

Honestly. As the random black guy from Brooklyn who somehow grew up a Devils fan, i tried getting into hockey early and played in LI New York. Thanks to my parents issues and the sheer expensive nature of the game early on. I can say thats probably the biggest thing. No matter your background its a hard sport to get into and the sports already not popular amongst my culture, it was worse when i eas a kid we didnt have many black players in the league as we started to have from my teenage years and on. But basketball in this city is just so much easier to get into despite also kind of having this issue. (Most of the top picks come from affluent families that can afford the best schools, training etc.) Its a crapshoot that i hope changes i love the game and the sport most of all. But its just too tough for middle and lower class people to get into.

Hockey really is the best team sport and im not Canadian

Those red/white graphics are pretty confusing

I do not watch or go to any baseball or football games any more and have no use for basketball, but I still follow hockey.

This is not a new issue. The proportion of Canadians in the NHL hasn't been a majority for a pretty long time (and it used to be over 90%, back before the league expanded to 12 teams from 6). It is in the low 40% range now, and will likely continue to decrease. Canadians still make up the plurality of NHL players, and that is not likely to change for a long time, if ever. But the counter-argument is that other nations have correspondingly seen investment in hockey pay off - places like Germany, Latvia and Austria consistently compete at the top level of the international adult game, and they even win the occasional medal (which was unheard of twenty years ago)...their contribution of players to the NHL continues to increase. So at the highest level, the sport is becoming more international, and I think this is, on balance, fairly positive, as it means that as the popularity of ice hockey waxes and wanes in any particular country, there are other nations picking up the slack and sustaining it. But make no mistake, hockey is still the sport that most Canadian youth watch above all others, and while adult immigrants may not be ready to embrace a new sport, their children (who want to fit in and become culturally Canadian) will. These kids may not immediately want to PLAY hockey, but if they show curiosity for the sport, the cost of skating lessons is still relatively affordable (plus it's good exercise, and can be a family activity!), and those who show aptitude for skating can be supported by the community in taking up hockey. For example, there are initiatives involving current and former NHL players to provide both equipment, and money for facility use and training, making the sport more affordable. And it is at the youngest levels that this investment will have the most impact, as the more kids participate, the more chance there will be for kids (be they children of immigrants or not) who have a natural talent in the sport to develop that talent, be identified as particularly talented, and gain further support in their teenage years. It doesn't matter if 90% of the kids who play organized hockey as little kids stop when they're 11 or 12 (or decide to play cheaper, less organized forms, just for fun) as long as the ones who really have a shot to play professionally keep going (should they choose to). As for the popularity of the sport as an entertainment product, that concerns me a bit more, because the NHL has been consistently clueless as to how they can better market this product. They swing between sticking their heads in the sand (doubling down on strategies that will only appeal to the most diehard of existing fans), and embracing truly nutty ideas that might cause a handful of total n00bs to pay attention (for a little while at least) while totally alienating their actual fanbase. Personally, I think that hockey in Canada used to rely on its cultural ubiquity to maintain its popularity - there wasn't anything else to care about, and so the sport basically sold itself. Now, there is a massive selection of entertainment options to choose from. I am no expert, but I think that a good start to gaining and keeping fans is making it WAY easier for anyone, anywhere, to follow one specific team. For example, it is nigh-on impossible at present for a person in Calgary to (legally) watch every single Carolina Hurricanes game (for example), unless they buy a subscription that includes access to EVERY NHL game (at a premium price). This is RIDICULOUS. How hard would it be to partner with one of the many streaming services, allowing any subscriber to automatically gain free access to a NHL team of their choice's entire season as part of their subscription? That would drive up subscription numbers for that service, and it would also enable non-hockey fans, no matter where they are in the world, to pick a team to follow (most won't, but some will!). Also, some networks still enforce local blackouts, because teams feel that a game that is accessible on television locally will not sell as many tickets. But the NHL needs to realize that the in-person, live product they're selling is VERY different to the televised version, and make the extra experience of the live event worth the cost, while still understanding that it's not an either-or scenario...most of the people watching the game on television would NEVER have bought a ticket. All they're doing in blacking out a game is screwing over fans, and losing potential fans. These are just a couple of the ways the NHL is shooting itself in the foot, ones that are obvious to anyone who is even peripherally aware of the situation.

Our demographics are changing. The new Canadian kids don't relate to hockey players and prefer the NBA instead. The hockey league in Scarborough shut down over 30 years sgo because if a lack if players.

I think that lack of success aof Canadian NHL teams is also a factor.

gotta say no mention of the Kyle beach situation and what happened in 2018 at the world juniors is kind of wild. that deeply impacted the image of hockey Canada and many parents have said no in response to these situations. I would really recommend looking into it

your child is not going to make it to the nhl. ... now that that is out of the way, what are you willing to spend on them having fun and learning about team work.

My teens have no interest, and I've had less and less. Today's NHL is tough to watch, with the elimination of physicality and the increased focus on making the game as fast as possible...it's become a video game version of itself. I often find myself wondering why players are so passive on defense. The game has become riddled with head down toe drags, michigan attempts and awful slow gliding shootouts.

Another factor that could contribute to the decline is the sexual abuse scandal within Hockey Canada, which really cracked the trust from the public...

What the heck does "Teenagers vs Today" mean in terms of time frame / demographics?

This is possibly why the NHL is trying to get to the Sun Belt. They have the money to keep the game alive and it will flow back to Canada.

This is a problem everywhere in the US as well, outside of Minnesota. Their participation numbers continue to grow steadily. I believe that is because they embrace the community based model. Unlike pretty much everywhere else that has gone to the private AAA model, in MN the rinks are almost all owned by the cities they are in. This keeps the ice time cost down, they still put up ODRs that are free to use. The community based associations are non-profit and run by volunteers so they can keep registration costs down. Many association provide the equipment for free until the kids reach 10U(squirts) some associations don't even charge registration fees for kids until they reach 8U or even 10U and pretty much all of them provide financial assistance or scholarships to families that need help. If Canada and the rest of the US want to continue to grow the sport, which directly leads to more fans, they need to get on board with this style of community based non-profit hockey. The NHL and manufactures would be wise to also embrace this and do what they can to help encourage this growth and development. Kind of like MLB did a while back where they started build ball fields around the US.

Americans don't even know who Connor McDavid is , great job Gary 👍

This is 100% true. My nephew plays AAA in Guelph. It costs 16k a year to play.

It is the same in the USA with other sports as well as hockey. The costs make it prohibitive for most families and the owners of professional teams have priced out most fans to see games. If you disinterest the young fans and participants you create something that only the well off and wealthy can be part of. As someone who grew up with the Original Six NHL teams I appreciated how these players of working class origins were able to make to the NHL.

7:59 I wish hockey players and staff would express themselves more. The coach Tortorella is a league favorite because he always has an attitude and strong personality. Being a Rangers fan, I love watching the player Lafreniere because he has shown to have a fun personality. Through dancing, quirky moves, and making weird faces his personality has hooked many fans. I love the Rangers because the players goof around and have fun with each other. A greater connection to the players is a greater connection to the team.

It’s just way too expensive. I wanted to play as a kid but couldn’t due to the equipment costs

The failure to appreciate talents and star players vs praising of less skilled thugs figures is telling

TSN's bardown should do live stuff inbetween periods for the fans

Between the facts that no Canadian team has won since 1993 and the newer generation can’t afford anything, are distracted all the time and are very sensitive/delicate it’s going to continue going down until something big north of the boarder happens.

One of the things I love about hockey players is their class and kindness off the ice. I hope that never changes

Don Cherry being fired and the Raptors winning the championship is the main reasons why.

This was an excellent watch, right on the money especially regarding the media aspect. Hockey Night In Canada has been long overdue for an overhaul of their format. As a diehard fan, ex player Canadian and journalist who works in hockey I would also just add two other things with respect. 1. Parents are less inclined to put their kids in sports like hockey and gridiron football due to the concerns of long term health surrounding head injuries. 2. Hockey players have developed an awful reputation in rural areas especially but throughout the country and dating back to my high school year I've noticed the fall in attendance for local junior teams. The general public is no longer interested in the sport and stories like the recent 2018 team Canada world junior scandal are at the forefront of that phenomena.

I may be Canadian, but I always liked basketball more anyways.

Growing up in the 80s was a different world, for one thing Canadian teams actually won the cup. The games were played on t.v rather than blacked out. My older brother played the sport and my grandparents supported his endeavors. Some of my cousins played and my younger brother had a go at it. For girls there was only the game of ringette available. It was more of a family atmosphere with emphasis on the game and not on money or contracts. Sexual abuse and assault were always rampant in the sport as was racism, not much has changed in that regard. It's now a major franchise with high financial demands falling on the fans. The costs to play are unrealistic as are the costs to watch the sport which is exclusive and catering to the elite. The personalities from the Don Cherry days are all but dead, but that's not necessarily a bad thing since he and his ilk promoted a toxic, racist, and sexist culture which was reflective of a different era where that behaviour went unchallenged. The only thing exciting is the PWHL because it is most like how hockey was originally where it was all about the love of the game. It's not only the hockey culture that has changed but culture in general is changing and not only in Canada, but especially here. Now the challenge for hockey is to adapt and evolve to keep up with the changing culture while at the same time remaining accessible. So far Bettman and co. are failing, but they are also a dying breed of a long gone era which is fortunately being challenged and changed for the better.

Hockey Night in Canada's such a joke. Ron threw Don cherry under the bus over a vague comment.... for what? so he can protect his job when he's a mediocre tv personality? he's decent as an interviewer but anyone could of filled his role during coaches corner with cherry. Ron should pack it in and find something else to do honestly... its time for some new blood.

It is expensive and canada has become quite a bit more poor the last ten years.

As a guy said "its not cool to be white. Its cool to be dunking in a hood in new orleans on highlight reels or being a wr at georgia"

Hockey is in an odd place, theres a disconnect between old time hockey fans, who enjoy the tougher, grittier game of the past, and younger fans who have embraced the flashy, highly skillful, and fast-paced game of today. This also extends to the insiders, media, players, and alumni themselves. This could also be said about the demographics, its been better but the NHL hasn't been the most diverse. The past few years have seen many initiatives (and scandals) that have pushed diversity and inclusion forward, but the NHL really isn't doing itself any favours with how they've handled some of it. The broadcast personalities have gotten better but like you said the ones more popular with younger fans are still relegated to the internet or podcasts. For example, I don't understand why TSN doesn't have its Bardown crew frequently appear on broadcasts as they've got some great content. The regional blackout garbage and how there really isn't an easy, centralized way to stream games definitely hurts the broadcast side of it too. The NHL just doesn't know how to market its players as well and their attempts can get kinda cringey. Tbh, I don't see it getting better until Bettman is gone.

Such a great take, I wonder how hockey will begin to evolve with society? Where will it be in 20 years?

As a Michigander it’s always interesting to see how it is broadcast differently. Domestically we have poor hockey coverage in writing and especially on TV. For years ESPN has been basketball, football and college sports almost solely. Cost is the killer of the sport growth. I now live in SoCal and there’s a huge ball and roller presence here. I think if that would be adopted more largely and actually introduce the game to a more diverse audience it’ll also grow the sport.

I make 100k a year and unfortunately gonna have to tell my son I cannot afford or him to play next year 😢

All sports have rising costs for equipment and training, as well as an elitist element. Hockey's problem is the ice, requiring either cold enough weather outside, or use of a rink somewhere, which is getting more expensive to maintain. Warmer temperatures in Canada especially the west have made field and diamond sports more attractive to parents on a tight budget. And truth be told the fastest growing sport in Canada right now is probably cricket, due to generations of immigrants from cricket-loving countries and a national team getting a little more exposure.

Friendly reminder basketball is a Canadian sport.

My mom escaped communist China in the late 70s and had me in Hong Kong. In 1991 as most Hong Kongers are preparing to flee from the Commies again, we flew to Toronto where we would spend most of our lives in. The year was 1993 I was 9. Not knowing much about the Canadian culture at the time, my single mother had to work so I was mostly alone with the TV. I remember this one time the TV showed a clip of Doug Gilmour warp around on Curtis Joesph I was awe by it. I've became the biggest Leaf fan ever since. I'm 46 now and my son is 2. I plan to start hockey for him soon until I saw your video. Back in the 90s, we used to be able to play a lot of great Hockey games like NHL93 on Genesis and NHL96 on the SNES. Those were great fucking games. But ever since I became a PC gamer myself I have completely lost touch with consoles so I don't have access to any NHL games anymore. This is another problem. Sports games has to be more accessible to a wider Audience. None of the EA sports titles ever get released on the PC due to piracy and that fucking sucks. If you want to engage with the younger Audience you gotta include the games.

Sticks $250 skates $400 gloves $150 Helmet $75 then the rest of equipment Ticket games prices ridiculous It’s too expensive playing and watching it live.

I think you missed a major point, which is that Canada only has 7 teams in the NHL (with AHL teams in only 10 different cities), and this is not NATIONAL! Look at the Junior leagues; so many talents are wasting because it is impossible for them to turn pro! Even it is kind of ridiculous to have that amount of enrolled hockey players when the chance of becoming a pro hockey player is near zero. Additionally, so many cities and towns are eager to support their local team, but there is no team! Look at soccer in England; every township has its own team, and people support their team in any way. This country could have had its own pro leagues, with at least 4-5 leagues in one pyramid, and hundreds of teams, but we lost our sport to money and the US!

Hockey must adapt to the times if it's to maintain is stance as a dominant sport in it's own country.

Its very interesting to watch the hockey perspective viewed from Canada. Here in Europe we struggle with the same problems only they are magnified in many ways. Here in Oslo,Norway hockey used to be a winter sport for the working class. The unfathomable cost involved entering kids into hockey these days are slowly but surely killing the sport. In a not so resourceful home a kid with 2 fresh legs can enter a football club with affordable dents to the household economy. The choice is simple. My country always sucked in hockey, but in 20 years I would be surprised if we still enter the ice hockey world championships, which we have done with the original hockey nations since its beginning. Hockey is dying here, simple as that

1.4 birth rate that’s why

As someone who grew up in Florida and Texas, I’ve never seen an ice rink until I was 19 when I went to Calgary for a trip. I say the sport isn’t accessible for many people in the states especially down south unfortunately. Other sports like football, basketball and baseball are just easier to take part in rather than hockey since it’s more accessible and affordable

When you fill the country up with people who don't care about or like hockey, then the costs..........

A Russian here. This is sad, guys, Canada is a hockey trailblazer and even thinking about decline if hockey in Canada is kind of depressing. And yes, it is a very expensive sport. I wish my parents could afford it as my hometown Cherepovets has a decent professional team Severstal

I'm a NHL fan from the UK. Go Oilers!🇬🇧♥🏒

For comparison: The state of Georgia has 11,029,227 people, and had the NHL for 20 years. As of 2020 Georgia had 2,078 hockey players enrolled. The least populated province Prince Edward Island has 154,331 people - but has 5,557 hockey players enrolled. The least populated state Wyoming has 576,851 people - but has 2,195 hockey players enrolled. Both more than Georgia. - Georgia has less hockey players enrolled than every province in Canada, even the least populated province - Georgia has less hockey players enrolled than all the least populated states in America (less than WY, VT, MT, ME, SD, ND, AK) If hockey is "dying" in Canada, then it is dead period. America CANNOT save hockey. The most diehard hockey state Minnesota has a FRACTION of the hockey players that Canadian provinces have.

Anytime I see a team of peewee or bantam players heading to their hockey game in a formal shirt and tie, I think to myself, "Who tf are we kidding here?" They can aggrandize themselves all you want but we all know how hockey players act out of public eyes.

In my opinion as a Canadian the popularity of other sports comes as more and more people immigrate here. If you go to a certain area, the sport kids are playing and watching is highly dependent on the ethnic majority in that area. If you target that Anglo-Franco-Canadian community, the numbers haven’t gone down. But with an immigrant population increase over time, this raises the overall percentages for sport fans while necessarily changing the percentage proportions for each sport. 8:57 yes hockey players are reserved in public. And we believe strongly in this. Good character image is integral to influence our youth. This is a non negotiable. If you don’t get it, you don’t get it. I guess you have to be a Canadian to understand…we don’t want “Hollywood” in our game. That type of stuff is seen as superficial and superfluous. This is a well talked about issue in Canada. It’s why Americans love the “lazer puck” yet no Canadian broadcast will use it. We hate it. You have to understand, we don’t see any need to water the presentation of our game down with frivolities. Our game has a lot of meaning to us that goes far beyond simple entertainment. Let the US have all that stuff if it will help them get with the game. I do believe it is the NHL’s mission to do what it must to sell hockey in the US, and that’s all to the good. But suggesting that we do the same is like injecting an idea into a conversation that’s already been going on for ten years, only you had no idea. Just saying. Canada needs nothing to keep hockey healthy at this point. These stats are a paper tiger. Stats don’t always tell you the truth, be careful how they are interpreted. BTW, congrats to my Nephew Jackson, his team just won their U13 championship 🎉🎉🎉

I was in Calgary in June of 19 and the Stanley Cup Finals seemed like an after thought.

Hockey sucks now. Gotta take out a loan just to go to a game. Total crap

Too expensive, too few Canadians due to immigration and like I said, WAY to much expensive.

Really solid assessment…the cost in particular is a huge factor. Bravo

I think the league trying to take out fighting also had a effect on the game.

*MY POV:* During the late 2010s and early 2020s, things changed. Before, schools were talking about hockey *WAY MORE,* and many classmates of mine were hockey players until COVID, and teachers had a hockey interest. At several points in time, the Toronto Raptors won the 2019 NBA championship, Canada got into the 2022 World Cup, and F1 was *EXPLODING* in popularity due to Liberty Media buying it in 2017. For the F1 part, many moments happened (like Verstappen *STEALING* the 2021 championship from Lewis in Abu Dhabi, a *HUGE* battle in the 2022 British GP which led to my favorite driver Carlos Sainz winning), and drivers were given *PERSONALITIES!!!!!!!!!* (The brands I was exposed to as a young child were Ferrari and Puma, especially that I had Puma Ferrari shoes) I moved places a year ago, and my new school has a culture of basketball, soccer (I know a few soccer players in my new school), and teachers are talking *MOTORSPORT* now!!!!!!!!!!

I couldn't afford to play ice hockey in the 90s and 00s so I played roller hockey. I can't imagine how wealthy a family needs to be in 2024 to put a kid in hockey if my parents couldn't afford it when the economy was actually good. For years now hockey has been the sport of the wealthy in canada, akin to skiing and go-karting.

Good breakdown - it’s multi faceted. I’m a US parent with a kid playing hockey and the biggest headache is definitely cost but my kid loves it so we definitely forgo some things to make it happen. The immigration argument also makes sense - in the short term. The flip side of this is that since hockey is woven into the fabric of Canadian society it may just be hitting an adjustment period. Give it a generation and I can guarantee you’ll start to see some exciting 2nd generation immigrant hockey players come out of Canada - it’s takes time for folks to settle in and I would put money down that you’re going to be surprised at some of the kids who come up 15, 20, 30 years from now out of Canadian hockey. It’s actually a massive opportunity for the sport to grow globally with Canada showcasing players whose parents may have immigrated from non hockey markets. It’s one of the things I enjoy when taking my kid to tournaments in Canada - folks are welcoming and I think this will translate to future hockey growth via expanded demographic exposure as Canada inhales folks from all over the globe.

Uh yeah, almost $4000 for top tier gear. Ever one parent has to earn 70K+ a year to afford real hockey training. And 😅 plays a huge part. Plus other sports like basketball, MMA and working out are way cheaper than hockey. Drop the damn price, Bauer, CCM and other brands. Basically he covered it all. If i ever had kids, I'd never put them in serious hockey. Time, travel and price is too much just for a recreational sport. Basketball is massive here. Side note: I've played hockey forever and am 46. Hockeys just too expensive.

Canadiens are grappling with a high cost of living worser than in the U.S. Survival is more important than a hockey game.

I played this game in mid 70’s, 80’s 90’s. At this time! Hickey was affordable and everyone played, could you skate?? I played AAA jr and i stop playing when it turn business. We all love the game , now we can’t even afford😢 it. Raised 2 kids born 92-95 and it was expensive. $$$ to play every year is ludicrous

We think all that equipment is necessary but we forgot to play for love of the game

#3 bunch of robots. You're not the only one pointing this out. The Nhl used to have interesting interviews and you would see players taking jabs at each other in the interview. After sean avery made the sloppy seconds comments... that whole thing changed... Its so boring seeing these guys blab about nothing interesting... people dont want to hear regurgitation of what they just witnessed on television from the player... say something personal, something interesting, talk shit about bettman, ask to bring don cherry back, these drones are awful and along with canadian teams having the odds stacked against them to make it far in the playoffs the game just isnt exciting to watch if your team's not successful... your teams tickets for an nhl game is ridiculous... and the players are boring so they dont end up getting booted from the league. What a sad state of of a league. Thats why I stopped watching seasonal nhl hockey... Watching the playoffs feels like a fruitless venture too... you cant relate with the nhl hockey if you cant even go watch the games in person because of greedy bettman.

Great video just think about Don Cherry how much of a character he is with his flamboyant suits no wonder he’s so popular

What does Taylor Swift and Canadian hockey have in common? OVEREXPOSURE 🤦‍♂️

This isn't just hockey. It's every sport, it's every movie, it's every video game, every car, every meal. Either it sucks, is too expensive, or both.

I bet Canada wins the cup this year. To try to reverse this. This is true. kids arent into hockey anymore. They are into KZfaq and the new entertainment