Why More Hockey Athletes Are Turning to Cannabis Over Alcohol

From the junior ranks to the NHL, hockey has always had a strong drinking culture. Post-game beers on the bus or late-night bar tabs were once almost a badge of honor. Yet a quiet but noticeable shift is underway today: more hockey athletes are reaching for cannabis products instead of alcohol.

Several forces are driving that change. For starters, alcohol’s impact on performance and recovery is clearer than ever. Research shows that the amounts athletes typically drink can disrupt immune and hormone function, blood flow, and protein synthesis, all of which are crucial for building and repairing muscle. It also worsens dehydration and delays recovery from injury. Taken together, these effects can impair performance for up to 72 hours after a heavy night. That is a big problem in a sport with packed schedules and long road trips.

Hockey players also know they are starting from a culture of heavy alcohol use. NCAA data show that ice hockey has some of the highest rates of binge drinking among college sports, with more than 60% of male and over half of female hockey players reporting binge episodes. As strength coaches and team doctors push for better sleep, nutrition, and recovery habits, that level of drinking looks increasingly out of step with performance goals.

Cannabis, meanwhile, is framed less as a party drug and more as a tool—rightly or wrongly—for managing pain, sleep, and stress. Recent NCAA-funded research on thousands of college athletes found that many use marijuana to help manage physical pain, reduce muscle spasms, and relax, with some reporting better sleep and recovery. A broader systematic review suggests cannabis does not enhance performance and can even impair it, but it may have a role in recovery and pain control when used carefully.

Policy changes make the shift easier. The NHL still tests for THC, but it no longer treats a positive cannabis test as a punishable offense. Instead, abnormally high levels trigger a health review and potential treatment rather than suspension. That contrasts with the more punitive history around alcohol-related incidents away from the rink, and it sends a subtle message that cannabis belongs in the health conversation more than in the discipline column.

Culturally, younger players also seem more comfortable with edibles and vapes than with shots and beers. A 2025 survey of NHL players reported that roughly two-thirds had used cannabis edibles during the season, with many saying they preferred low-key nights with marijuana and video games to bar-hopping. While that survey is not definitive science, it captures a generational mood: cannabis feels more controllable and less likely to torpedo a career than a drunken mistake on social media or at a nightclub.

None of this means cannabis is risk-free. Doctors still warn about potential impacts on coordination, reaction time, and mental health, especially with high-THC products or heavy, long-term use. Researchers stress that most evidence for recovery benefits is early and often based on self-report rather than randomized clinical trials.

But in a sport built on very thin performance margins, many hockey athletes are making a pragmatic trade. Alcohol’s downsides for recovery, body composition, and decision-making are well documented; cannabis, used thoughtfully and often away from competition, looks to them like the lesser of two evils—and, potentially, a better fit for a modern, science-driven approach to staying on the ice.

Learn more: THC vs. CBD for Post-Game Muscle Recovery