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How the NHL lockout affects seven Canadian cities

Dustin Pollack

It's supposed to be the opening night of the 2012-13 NHL regular season. The one time of the year when every team is on even ground and has equal opportunity at success.

On Friday morning, fans in the eight cities whose teams were supposed to play tonight should be waking up and either planning a parade or orchestrating a protest to fire their franchise's coach, GM and whoever else was responsible for putting together a team that dared to start 0-1 or perhaps even 0-0-1.

But we know where this old story is going. Instead of gathering around a television set with family and friends for opening night, fans sit in the dark. And they'll be waiting for who knows how long.

And it's in the seven Canadian cities that boast NHL teams where the lockout may hit home the hardest, and each for its own specific reason.

Toronto: Maybe this is the wrong place to start since from a hockey perspective a full-season lockout might actually benefit the Leafs; specifically, at the draft. Should the NHL decide to use the same draft lottery rule they did after the 2004-05 lockout, the Leafs' chances at either Nathan MacKinnon or Seth Jones could be much higher than they would be should any sort of season play out and the Leafs find themselves between 10th and 12th in the Eastern Conference.

Vancouver:

Every contender has their window of opportunity to secure a Stanley Cup. And for the Canucks that window is closing fast, if it hasn't already. Should there be no NHL season this year, the Sedin twins will enter the 2013-14 campaign on the final year of their respective deals at 33 years old and it may be the final chance for the Canucks to hoist the Cup with this core of players.

Winnipeg: As quickly as the NHL and the Jets returned to the city, it has disappeared again. Granted, the team will be back once a new CBA is reached but that hasn't stopped Jets fans from voicing their disappointment. Dean Douglas, a season-ticket holder told CBC News, "It's beyond frustrating for Winnipeg Jets fans, we finally just got the Jets back into our city." There may not be one specific reason as to why this lockout hurts Winnipeg's on-ice product, and their economy would likely be affected the same as a city like Calgary. But Jets fans have every right to be more frustrated than any other hockey fans. At least every other city has watched their team for seven seasons since the last lockout. Not Jets fans. They got to see just one.

Calgary: Just like the other Canadian cities where hockey is the only or the biggest show in town, a work stoppage can have a major affect on Calgary's economy. As was reported in the Calgary Herald, Red Mile hotstop Melrose Cafe & Bar took a hit of about 30 percent in sales during the last lockout and other businesses like Garage Sports Bar and CrossIron Mills Jersey City expect heavy decreases in sales should the work stoppage extend through a full season.

Edmonton:

With little else to discuss, the issues Nail Yakupov faced in securing the proper documentation that would allow him to play in the KHL were well-reported in the Canadian media. Now that the problem has been resolved and Yakupov is back on the ice in Russia, should the Oilers be worried about Yakupov refusing to return to the NHL if there is any sort of shortened season this year? Several members of the media including Peter Adler of the Edmonton Journal have pondered whether Yakupov is the next Alexander Radulov. "If you ignore Yakupov's shenanigans now," Adler wrote, "the day will come (and sooner than you expect) when you'll regret even thinking about drafting the guy, never mind doing so, and then signing him to an NHL contract."

Ottawa: Senators fans rejoiced when longtime captain Daniel Alfredsson signed a one-year contract following the 2011-12 season. But as Puck Daddy wrote back in September — when the hopes of an NHL season looked brighter than they do now — a work stoppage could mean abbreviated victory laps for veteran stars like Alfredson and Teemu Selanne. Should the lockout extend for the long haul, is it possible that Sens fans - and the NHL for that matter - have seen the last of Alfredsson?

Montreal: After a disastrous 2011-12 season, the Canadiens are in rebuilding mode meaning a lockout is just a delay in the process. But it also gives management some time to decide what road they're going to head down with P.K. Subban. The 23-year-old defenceman is a restricted free agent and the Canadiens need to determine whether he's going to be a large part of the defensive core down the road or if they're better suited moving him to a team they can acquire younger prospects from who will develop alongside 18-year-old Alex Galchenyuk.