Steady decline in youth hockey participation in Canada raises concerns about the future of sport

FILE - Players on the Minneapolis, wearing white and black uniforms, and Orono, wearing red uniforms, teams compete in a 10-and-under youth hockey game in Minneapolis, Feb. 4, 2024. FILE - Players from around North America take part in the NHL All-Star Youth Hockey Jamboree Celebration at St. Michael's College School Arena in York, Ontario, Feb. 3, 2024, during All-Star Weekend in Toronto, Canada.

All four ice rinks at Susan Fennell Sportsplex are full of action on this winter Saturday morning, the air filled with the sound of hockey skates grinding through ice and pucks clanging off the glass.