Chris Kreider considers himself extremely lucky to have had hand-me-down equipment from family and friends in the early days of his hockey career.

Anybody who had older brothers would lend Kreider skates, padding and other equipment for him to participate in youth leagues.

Not everybody is as fortunate, and that is not lost on Kreider.

“I was fully aware of how expensive it was to play that sport and the kind of time and sacrifice it takes to play that sport,” Kreider said at the Shoulder Check Showcase charity event in Stamford, Conn., earlier this month.