Logan Stankoven, the Carolina Hurricanes forward who captured the 2026 Stanley Cup, was recently spotted listing two high‑end hockey sticks on Facebook Marketplace in his hometown of Kamloops, British Columbia. The listing featured a Warrior QR7 and an Alpha LX3, each priced at $175 Canadian, a fraction of their typical retail value.
A modest side hustle
The sticks, supplied by the team's equipment sponsor, were offered at roughly half the usual price, turning what could have been a routine off‑season expense into a brief public footnote. Stankoven's recent eight‑year, $48 million contract extension will not kick in until the fall, meaning the listing appeared during a period when his regular salary had yet to resume.
Professional hockey players receive paychecks only during the regular season, leaving the summer months without income. While many athletes benefit from equipment deals that provide gear at no personal cost, the offseason can still strain budgets, especially for those still under entry‑level agreements.
Financial footnote in a multimillion‑dollar career
Stankoven's situation underscores a broader narrative in sports: even multimillion‑dollar earners sometimes explore unconventional ways to manage cash flow between contracts. The listing, while symbolic, highlights how carefully many athletes must balance their finances, a theme echoed by numerous former players who have spoken about bankruptcy despite once earning millions.
The Carolina Hurricanes organization, currently competing in the Eastern Conference, and their parent company, the Dallas Stars, both issued statements confirming that the equipment was provided by sponsors and that the Marketplace listing was not motivated by financial necessity. Instead, it served as a brief glimpse into the everyday realities of life on the ice outside the rink.