NHL Lockout in 2nd Day With No Progress

This “Big Year” could be a big bust.

Today is day two of the NHL lockout, and there’s no agreement between players and the league in sight.

The league could start cancelling preseason games this week. Games were scheduled as early as Wednesday, and there’s little chance training camps will open on time. Most teams were supposed to open today.

The league’s owners want to roll back the players’ salaries; right now salaries take up 57 percent of league revenue. The Minnesota Wild issued a statement yesterday saying it supports the league’s decision to lock out players, and it thinks the league is looking out for long-term interests of the game.

This is the NHL’s fourth lockout in 21 years.

Locally, businesses on West Seventh near the Xcel Energy Center depend on a boost in winter revenue from Wild fans. But with the lockout, the streets will look quiet on what are usually game days.

If this lockout lasts through December, the Wild will lose 18 regular and preseason games at the Xcel Center. That means a lot of people will be out of work next month. Businesses that sell tickets and team memorabilia will get hit hard as well as the vendors who go up and down the aisles at the Xcel Center.
 

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