Curious Hair wrote:
The game still isn't affordable to enough people. It can't just be a game of the upper middle class.
I'd say in most of the country this is true, but it is affordable to more people if you live in an area with natural occurring ice that stays through much of winter. A lot of kids will get the bulk of their play in pond hockey or on outdoor rinks, which don't have the icetime costs of an indoor one. Also, you can play with less equipment outside if you're not checking. Basically you just need gloves, skates, and a stick (helmet still suggested though)
Heck, I usually take advantage of the outdoor ice just because the timing is far more flexible than waiting for a stick & puck or open hockey that isn't always scheduled conveniently for me.