Clearly you aren't a hockey player. Gear and ice time are incredibly expensive. I agree with your overall point but I think that's a pretty minor issue.
Speedball is great fun to play and has a lot of utility as a sporting endeavor, IMO. The bottom line is that it's been completely mishandled in terms of generating revenue outside the industry, which puts the very concept of professional play on shaky ground.
Culling and rebirth, gentlemen. If there were a bunch of competent regionals with a big Vegas tournament on the ocho at the end...