poly

Hello all, I'm a casual hockey fan [in other words, an idiot on this stuff] doing a bit of research into the inner structures and realities of playing, funding and living hockey. Main question for today are gauging whether y'all think whether a oligopoly exists for hockey equipment in the US/Canadian context at this current moment. - Have you heard any stories or experienced any barriers to affording equipment? - Would you consider hockey to be an expensive sport? If you have any resources to point me into the right direction, I'd gladly be indebted to yous. All the best, poly