Hockey, long a sport shaped by the cold geography and cultural identity of North America's northern reaches, now finds itself caught in the currents of trade policy. The United States has imposed tariffs on Canadian imports, and because Canada supplies a significant share of the hockey equipment Americans buy, those costs will move swiftly from border to retail shelf. For families already stretched by rising gear prices, this moment is less about politics than about whether a child gets to lace up skates this season.