HFBoards - View Single Post - Anyone else feel equipment costs hinder the growth of the sport in NA?

WhipNash27 · 06-21-2010, 01:09 PM

The problem is that an ice hockey rink on its own isn't as profitable as one with a bar/restaurant and such.

Rinks make most of their ice related money from high school teams, youth leagues, adult leagues, public skates. I'm assuming anyway. All of those things involve adults being there. Adults like to chill and drink while their kids play, hence bars and restaurants. Adult league players like to go get a drink after the game. Bars.

Pro shops are there because people will sharpen their skates before games. Maybe their stick broke and they need another. They forgot their cup or something so they need a new one. Etc. Not only that but they're more expensive than anywhere else.

All of these things make a successful rink in the US.

We don't have a lot of rinks because for one, in many well populated ares, it's much harder to find land and get permission to open a rink. Also, it's not worth the money for owners unless their rink always has activities.

The rink I play at, I hear doesn't make much money and they have all that stuff. Adult leagues are always full (although less these days, with prices increasing all the time and team payment dates becoming earlier every season), every high school team for a 10-15 or so mile radius plays there, quite a few in house youth leagues, public sessions on the weekends are packed. So IDK, there must be more to it then I know.

And yet, if I want to go to an open hockey session on a Wednesday afternoon when no one is on the ice, it's $10. If I want to go to open hockey when it's packed, $10. More often than not open hockey at nights is on the crappy studio rink and guess what? $10.

We get ripped off like crazy here. Other rinks i know of are $15 - $20 for open hockey. That's a lot every time you wanna go for a skate.

06-21-2010, 01:09 PM	#73
WhipNash27 Quattro!! Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Westchester, NY Country: Posts: 14,178 vCash: 500	The problem is that an ice hockey rink on its own isn't as profitable as one with a bar/restaurant and such. Rinks make most of their ice related money from high school teams, youth leagues, adult leagues, public skates. I'm assuming anyway. All of those things involve adults being there. Adults like to chill and drink while their kids play, hence bars and restaurants. Adult league players like to go get a drink after the game. Bars. Pro shops are there because people will sharpen their skates before games. Maybe their stick broke and they need another. They forgot their cup or something so they need a new one. Etc. Not only that but they're more expensive than anywhere else. All of these things make a successful rink in the US. We don't have a lot of rinks because for one, in many well populated ares, it's much harder to find land and get permission to open a rink. Also, it's not worth the money for owners unless their rink always has activities. The rink I play at, I hear doesn't make much money and they have all that stuff. Adult leagues are always full (although less these days, with prices increasing all the time and team payment dates becoming earlier every season), every high school team for a 10-15 or so mile radius plays there, quite a few in house youth leagues, public sessions on the weekends are packed. So IDK, there must be more to it then I know. And yet, if I want to go to an open hockey session on a Wednesday afternoon when no one is on the ice, it's $10. If I want to go to open hockey when it's packed, $10. More often than not open hockey at nights is on the crappy studio rink and guess what? $10. We get ripped off like crazy here. Other rinks i know of are $15 - $20 for open hockey. That's a lot every time you wanna go for a skate.