Can’t Afford Hockey? Local Rink Offers Free House League

The next time Dallas Stars defenceman Trevor Daley unleashes his blazing speed and storms down the ice for one of his end-to-end rushes, you can be rest assured that he honed his prodigious skills at Queen and Sherbourne’s Moss Park Arena.  The humble facility remains the only rink in the GTA that offers free house league, and for young players from underprivileged homes, it is often their only lifeline to the game they love.

Daley is one of several successful graduates of the Gord Summers Memorial League, which plays out of Moss Park.  Feared CHL enforcer and former OHL Humanitarian Award winner David Silverstone, and Scott Howes, a skilled sniper currently playing in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, also got their start in the league, which allows players to compete in Canada’s beloved pastime without the staggering financial burden.

At a time when playing hockey is rapidly becoming unaffordable for many families, the league is a breath of fresh air, and in many cases, the only chance some kids might get to lace up the skates and compete. 

“Moss Park made me who I was for sure and how far I got to play was because of that league.  We couldn’t afford it, it was impossible,” reveals Silverstone.

“It’s disappointing to see that (hockey is) becoming a rich man’s sport, because there’s so many good athletes.  It just got too expensive, $2000-3000 to play and that doesn’t include your equipment.   It hurts.”

Donations help keep the league afloat, and Moss Park facility operator Graham Willcock stresses that no child is turned away, no matter what their financial status.

“A kid will walk in off the street and if he wants to play hockey, we’ll make sure he’s gonna play hockey and we’ll make sure he gets the equipment even if he’s got nothing.”

“A few years ago the NHLPA came and donated equipment,” he adds.  “They donated 60 full bags of hockey equipment for the kids.  Goalie equipment and everything like that.  It’s great that they can get the donations too.”

“It’s a low income area and it keeps the kids out of trouble.”

Al Harris is one of the many parents who relied on the free league when his kids expressed an interest in organized hockey. 

“I have a son and a daughter, Troy and Stacey, and they both grew up here and played here when they were younger.  It was always free.  You didn’t have to really worry about ice time and payments and stuff like that.  The situation nowadays, (it can cost) anywhere from $1200 – $2500 and they can get higher than that if they go to AAA.  Triple A can cost you up to around $5000 a kid.  Then you’ve got equipment and sticks and everything else. 

“So it’s nice that these guys have been here, for about 30 years that I’ve known of.”

Harris shakes his head when discussing the city’s latest plan to hike hockey costs. 

“Kids can’t afford it and if they can’t afford it where are they gonna go?  They’re gonna end up on the streets hanging in gangs, in malls. 

“This gives them something.”

To find out more, you can contact the Gord Summers Memorial Hockey League @ 416-392-1174

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