NHL Lockout: More than the Fans Suffering

The unthinkable has happened yet again. Instead of hockey fans across America dusting off their jerseys after a long summer, they have to suffer and hope this lockout can come to an agreement before the entire season is lost. 

The hockey community took a major hit in 2004 when the National Hockey League decided to have their first lockout in over ten years. The '04 lockout lasted the entire season and then some - totaling 10 months and six days with approximately 1200 un-played games as a result. It was the first time that the Stanely Cup was not awarded to a team since 1919. The lockout finally came to its conclusion on July 13, 2005 when the National Hockey Leauge (NHL) and the National Hockey League Players' Association(NHLPA) came to a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) which made changes to the salary cap, a pay cut for players, new free-agency rules, and a few slight changes to the game. 

Now, fast forward nine years, and it has happened again. Whenever these circumstances occur everyone's first thought is about the fans and what they're possible going to do this winter if they can watch hockey after a long day's work. With the fans aside, what about everyone else that was counting on a NHL season this year?

With this lockout underway, many players are getting bumped down to the lower leagues as to stay active and in shape during this time, some NHL players go to the AHL, so the AHL players go the ECHL, and so on. What also happens is a lot of the rookies right out of college, who had signed with an ECHL team last year, are getting cut or going overseas to play in the numerous leagues in Europe (if they are lucky enough to get picked up by another team.) Does this hurt their already slim chances of getting into the NHL if they stay in Europe after the lockout has ended? 

Tim Coffman, a Chester County, Pa. native, hopes not and is staying very optimistic about the whole situation. Coffman, 24, and a Twin Valley High School graduate was selected and played for Utica College on a scholarship he received in 2008. During his time at Utica, he was named rookie of the year and received other numerous awards, including breaking the school's all-time points record. After playoffs his senior year, he was drafted to the ECHL to play with the Greenville Road Warriors (SC), where he finished out the season and had a respectable 3 goals and 2 assists in only 14 games with the team. Over the summer, he was anxiously waiting for the new 2012 season to start where he would be playing with Greenville again in his first full year as a professional hockey player. Shortly after traveling back to Greenville for training camp, he was cut because the team had received 15 new players from the AHL as a result of the lockout. He is now headed to the Netherlands to play for the Tilburg Trappers, where he will be spending his 2012 season. It is hard to say whether Coffman will stay in Europe playing for years to come or if he will be drafted back to an ECHL or AHL team which at least has a direct affiliation with a NHL team.

Let's retract and talk about the local issues in regards to this lockout. Because there are so many "hockey towns" in our country, this lockout is severely hurting small businesses in those towns across America and some parts of Canada. St. Paul, Minnesota is just a few miles outside of Minneapolis. Both places have a huge fan base for the Minnesota Wild, a team that plays in the Xcel Center in St. Paul. During a Wild game, fans flock from the surrounding St. Paul areas and fill the hockey bars and restaurants that are scattered throughout St. Paul near the stadium. Great Waters Brewing Co. is one of these destinations, and profits are down 20% since the start of the lockout. For owner Sean O'Byrne, September and October has been a painful reminder of what happened in 2004. He says it is harder than ever because of the current lockout. Small businesses like his are still trying to bounce back from the Great Recession. O'Byrne says, "The economic times are different now, and I think the one thing that's apparent to me is the ripple effect the hockey strike has."

Tom Reid's Hockey City Pub is yet another struggling bar in St. Paul. On October 13, Tom's Reid's held an event for fans to relive the magic and nostalgia of what would have been opening night for their beloved Wild. As stated on the website, "it is not a celebration," but more of a commemoration on what should have been a wonderful evening for the countless hockey fans of St. Paul. Instead of their televisions airing the puck drop for the Wild's 2012-2013 season, Tom Reid's had the 1972 USSR vs. Canada summit series highlights running, which is regarded as one of the greatest series of hockey ever played. Obviously watching these highlights did not compare to a live Wild's games, but it gave the fans a reason to visit a hockey bar and Tom Reid's some much needed revenue.

The CONSOL Energy Center and the surrounding small businesses in Pittsburgh, Pa., home of the Penguins will miss out on $2.2 million for every cancelled game this year, says Craig Davis, President of VisitPittsburgh, the city's tourism office. This amount includes tickets, food sales at the arena, restaurants and bars, hotel rooms, parking, etc.

It is clear to see that with this lockout comes a domino effect to the surrounding small businesses of these "hockey towns." Restaurant owners will have to lighten their staff and pay due to the amount of empty chairs on what should have been game night. It's a terrible situation for everyone and the suffering starts with the rookie players trying to make a name for themselves in the North America hockey circuit and continues to the delivery drivers and supplies for these bars and arenas. One thing is certain, for the sake of hundreds of small businesses and thousands of jobs, we hope to see a collective bargaining agreement between the NHL and NHLPA, so we can enjoy some hockey this winter. 

~ Dominic Labrador, Brennan Lafferty, John Letterman

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