via News1130,
Tonight should be the first night of Hockey Night in Canada, but NHL rinks across the country are dark thanks to the ongoing labour dispute.
It's not just sports bars and ticket outlets that are being hit by the lack of hockey, but local retail businesses as well.
John Czvelka with Van City Sports says he's seeing a huge drop in jersey sales.
"Sixty per cent of my total sales are related to hockey. We're talking [losses] anywhere from $800,000 to $900,000 if this keeps up for the whole year," he believes.
And of the customers that he does see, Czvelka says there's a distinct difference in tone from 2004.
"Last lockout that they had, 90 per cent of my customers were on the players side. This time they don't agree with either one and are just disappointed there is no hockey."
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