ST. PAUL, Minn. (KMSP) -
Monday marks day two of the NHL lockout. Nobody knows if this will be a short or season-long work stoppage because the league and the players haven't spoken in a couple of days.
No talks are scheduled as the two sides seem to be in no hurry to get reach an agreement in time for preseason games, which were supposed to begin next week.
That doesn't help downtown St. Paul business owners, who count on hockey to pay the bills.
The state of business and the State of Hockey go hand-in-hand around the Seven Corners area of downtown St. Paul, continuing east and west along 7th Street.
While most NHL players and teams can survive an extended lockout or even a cancellation of an entire season (as happened in 2004-05) some bars and restaurants aren't in that position. They fear it could be a lengthy lockout, with the NHL asking players to cut their share of revenue from 57 percent down to 47 percent in a sport that's sitting in the NFL's shadow.
Despite drawing Vikings fans on football Sundays, businesses on the east side of the Mississippi River need hockey.
"The Wild, when they're in town, that's 19,000 people in downtown St. Paul," said Bennett's Chop and Rail House owner Joe Bennett.
"We count on that revenue to make it through the year and not having it is going to be a problem for us," said Greg Awada of Zamboni's Pizza and Pub.
The Wild is sending information to season ticket holders Monday morning.
Monday is also the first day NHL players can talk with other leagues. Many will land in Russia's KHL to keep their skills sharp so they can be ready to go back to work in North America if the two sides can reach a deal.
