Hockey lockout puts NHL cities and businesses in the penalty box
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Every time the NHL Penguins don’t play a game Pittsburgh's economy loses $2.5 million. That’s what the Centre Focus public affairs reporters James Swanson, Aaron Dunlevy, Bill Hood and Kofi Appiah learned in December 2012 as a labor dispute between owners and players put NHL cities in the penalty box without a fight.
The Centre Focus team traveled to Pittsburgh and Newark to examine the economic impact of the NHL lockout on franchise cities and businesses.
In Pittsburgh, for example, hotels, restaurants, bars and souvenir shops near the Consol Energy Center have laid off employees and cut back on hours of operation. Some businesses say revenue is off more than 50 percent.
