PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (WCAX) – President Trump\u2019s new 50% tariff on Canadian goods \u2014 including hockey equipment \u2014 takes effect Aug. 19. But with the majority of hockey equipment these days made outside of Canada, retailers we spoke to say families shouldn\u2019t expect to pay more this season.<\/p>\n
For the last 33 years, Ed Freer has owned and operated a Play It Again Sports franchise in Plattsburgh. Over time, he\u2019s seen firsthand the price to play jump.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour top-of-the-line skate when we first opened, you might spend $300; way over that now,\u201d Freer said.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why he was curious if or how President Trump\u2019s incoming new 50% tariff on hockey equipment made in Canada would affect prices. It turns out, not much. Freer says because prices for the upcoming season are already locked, the gear paid for, and the majority these days made outside of Canada, the tariffs don\u2019t apply.<\/p>\n
But Freer says that hasn\u2019t stopped people from asking about it. \u201cOne customer was in yesterday saying, \u2018Oh, I have heard prices are going to go up extremely.\u2019 I said, \u2018That\u2019s not going to happen, that\u2019s not the way the hockey business works,\u201d Freer said.<\/p>\n
Chris Kirkey, a professor of Canadian studies at SUNY Plattsburgh, says Trump\u2019s new tariffs are likely a trade negotiation tactic. Ultimately, he believes it\u2019ll backfire on the communities that depend and cherish that relationship with Canada the most.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you are a Canadian and you are looking, well, where am I going to go for the weekend? Am I going to go to Plattsburgh and do some shopping and some… stay at a hotel, go out for a good meal at a restaurant, or am I just going to sit tight? The whole idea of… your mindset of coming to the United States is once again in question,\u201d Kirkey said.<\/p>\n
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