The Real Cost of Hockey (And Why it is Worth Every Penny)

I’m currently a parent of three boys in hockey, and I’ll be honest—there are times when it feels overwhelming.

The driving. The equipment costs. Gas prices. Meals on the road. Tournament weekends. When I look at it purely from that perspective, I sometimes wonder: What are we doing? Why are we spending all this money as a family?

The Moment That Changes Everything

But then I have those moments. I had one just a few nights ago, driving home from a game about an hour away.

We were talking about his game—they’d tied, and it was genuinely exciting to watch. Their team played hard, with lots of back and forth action. On that car ride home, we got talking about how he played, some things he did well, and some areas he could work on.

It was a precious moment for me. Because I know that in just a matter of years, we won’t be having these times together. These conversations that start about his performance quickly become deeper—discussions about his character, his feelings of self-worth, about feeling empowered to live life, achieve things, and do hard things.

In that moment, the cost of hockey—the equipment, the meals, the gas, the wear and tear on the vehicle, the time spent driving around the Ontario countryside—suddenly faded into the background. I got to enjoy this precious moment with my son.

“How Can You Justify the Cost?”

I’ve had friends ask me: “How can you justify spending so much money on hockey? It’s so expensive. We could never do that.”

Yeah, it does cost money. But when I ask those same people what they spend their money on, they’ll mention things like a family holiday, a new snowmobile, a new car, or a kitchen upgrade—something that’s valuable to them.

My response is simple: “You spend your money on that. I spend my money on hockey.”

Because hockey gives me time with my kids. And I love it. I love cheering for them. I love the community that hockey brings—the other hockey parents, the shared experiences. If I didn’t have hockey, there’s a really good chance I wouldn’t get out on certain evenings. I’d sit in the house and do my own thing. But hockey gets me out the door.

Beyond the Game

Hockey gives my kids an opportunity to have fun, but it also gives them something really valuable in life. I’d say hockey is one of the last places for a young person to experience what I’d call reward and consequence.

If they work hard, if they practice, if they do their best, there’s a really good chance their team will do well or win. They’ll get some recognition, some affirmation. They’ll feel strong and empowered.

But on the flip side, hockey also provides an environment where if they don’t work hard, if they don’t try, if they skip practices—there’s a real chance they’ll make mistakes or won’t be able to do what they want to do. They might lose.

I think those are valuable lessons on both sides. Unfortunately, what I’m seeing in the school system is that everyone wins, everyone gets participation recognition, and there’s “no such thing as losing.” Everyone just has to “do their best.”

But that’s not how the world works. That’s not how businesses work. That’s not how life works. You can’t always just win. Sometimes you have to sacrifice. Sometimes you have to work hard and develop yourself to get somewhere.

The Bottom Line

So the next time someone tells you, “You’re spending too much money on hockey—that’s too expensive,” you can nod and smile.

Or you could say something like: “Yeah, it’s expensive. But the value in it for me is really high. And if I didn’t spend it on that, I’d probably just spend it on something else.”

I hope you make some great hockey memories this season.