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Bars get big boost from return of NHL

Restaurant and bar owner Mike Joss sleeps better at night now that sales have picked up with the return of hockey.

Hockey is the "engine that drives our bus," said Joss, co-owner of the Podium Sports Grill in Victoria, B.C., estimating the business lost some $10,000 a week in sales from the lockout.

"Being able to keep up with bills is huge in any business, in any industry and when you don't have that capability it's crippling. You go to sleep at night thinking how am I going to pay this tomorrow without having to throw more of my own money in there," he said of his struggle during the three-month lockout.

"I go to sleep at night and I sleep right away. I don't have to worry about stuff when I lay my head down on the pillow."

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Podium wasn't the only establishment that saw a boost.

Credit card spending at merchants in major cities where home games were played -- Calgary, Montreal, Winnipeg and Vancouver -- climbed nearly 9 per cent during a six-hour window just before and during NHL games on Jan. 19, compared to the weekend before, says Moneris Solutions Corp.

Included in the analysis were fast food businesses, restaurants and bars, with the latter especially popular, said Moneris, which processes debit and credit card transactions.

Winnipeg and Vancouver bars saw the biggest gains, where credit card spending rose 34.5 per cent and 22.6 per cent, respectively. Restaurant merchants in those cities saw 10.4 per cent and 19.3 per cent. Fast food businesses also saw a boost.

The NHL and the NHL Players' Association struck a deal earlier this month. The potential loss for the economy had the deal not been struck would've sucked out 0.1 percent of Canadian growth, translating into some $1.8 billion in lost economic productivity, according to a BMO Capital Markets analysis.

The loss is now just a little less than half of the season. That means the lockout will have subtracted about half of that, in other words 0.05 percent of GDP, or some $700 million.

“While the NHL hockey lockout hurt many Canadian merchants, the return of the season -- albeit shortened -- is a welcome boost to their pocketbooks,” said Malcolm Fowler, vice president of marketing at Moneris.

“We anticipate that merchants will continue to reap the economic benefits of these games until the end of the season.”