By Shelley Winger
For families with children in hockey, outgrown equipment can quickly pile up.
Skates, pants, shoulder pads, socks and other gear that once saw plenty of use can eventually find
its way into a garage or basement, even though it may still have plenty of life left.
With hockey season just around the corner, now is a good time for families to take a look at what
equipment they have sitting in their garages and basements — and what their young players may
have already outgrown.
That was one of the reasons Jonny Wedick decided to create the Morinville & Sturgeon Hockey
Gear Exchange, a local Facebook group designed to help hockey families buy, sell, trade or give
away equipment.
With three children who play hockey, Wedick knows firsthand how quickly players can outgrow
their gear.
“Our family has accumulated a lot of hockey equipment over the years,” Wedick said. “Much of
it still has plenty of life left, but eventually ends up sitting in the garage as the kids outgrow it.”
Wedick said his family has also been fortunate to receive equipment from family and friends over
the years, and he wanted to create a way for that same cycle to continue within the community.
While there are already local buy-and-sell groups, Wedick saw an opportunity for a group
dedicated specifically to hockey equipment.
“If a parent needs a pair of skates, pants, or another piece of equipment at the last minute, they
can come to one place without searching through hundreds of unrelated listings,” he said.
Hockey can be an expensive sport, particularly for families with multiple children playing.
Wedick hopes the exchange can help make the sport a little more affordable while keeping
quality equipment in use.
Some equipment may be sold at a reasonable price, while other items can be traded or simply
given away to another player who needs them.
Wedick also hopes the group can become a resource for families who are new to hockey and may
not know what equipment their child needs or how much it can cost.
“Beyond exchanging equipment, this could become a place where local hockey families can
connect, ask questions and help each other out,” he said.
The group is still new but has already grown to more than 100 members. Wedick hopes word of
mouth will continue to bring local hockey families into the group and, in turn, help more unused
equipment find a new home.
His goal is to keep the group focused on hockey families rather than businesses or retailers.
Ultimately, Wedick said, success would be simple: helping families save money, keeping good
equipment in use and possibly helping a few more local children get onto the ice.
For a sport where kids can seem to outgrow their equipment almost as quickly as they learn to use
it, that could be a win for everyone.