The cost of protective equipment, sticks and ice time is one factor that keeps hockey lagging behind sports such as basketball and soccer in the U.S. among minority children.
Megan Lincoln couldn't put her son into hockey right away when he wanted to play. She didn't have the time to take off from work to shuttle him to practice or the money to pour into a traditionally expensive sport. "Nothing is cheap," Lincoln said. "There's nothing about hockey that is cheap. Maybe some laces."
But Reggie Hunter became a hockey player when the family found out Snider Hockey was offering free equipment and instruction 20 minutes from their New Jersey home. He learned to play multiple positions over time as his great-grandfather drove him to and from the rink in Pennsauken. That was seven years ago. Hunter, now 21, went on to play junior hockey.
