NHL Lockout: Winners and Losers of the Current Dispute Between Players & Owners

Even though it's hard to imagine anyone benefiting from another NHL lockout, there are people who have something to gain from the latest work stoppage.

However, the number of losers in the current labor dispute is far greater than the number of winners, so it's important that both the owners and players reach a new collective bargaining agreement as soon as possible.

Let's look at the winners and losers of the current NHL labor dispute between the players and owners.

Losers: Players with Large Salaries

On Thursday I wrote an article about eight players with large contracts who don't want to see a long lockout.

These players will be some of the biggest losers of the lockout.

Not all athletes manage their money well, and if players are relying on escrow checks to pay the bills this winter, they could be more likely to want to make a deal so the season can get started.

Will these players stand up to their fellow NHL Players' Association members if they start to suffer financially? We'll see, but if this becomes an issue, it will be a major victory for the owners.

Losers: Businesses Around NHL Arenas

Restaurants, bars, hotels and public transportation business could suffer significantly in areas close to NHL arenas that rely on fans to make money before, during and after games. The loss of playoff revenue could also be a massive issue.

For cities that don't have an NBA and an NHL team in the same building, losing the hockey business could be devastating to several economies that will lose jobs and revenue during the lockout.

These workers need these jobs to make a living, and without them, unemployment rates in a number of cities could rise.

These are the consequences of lockouts to which the millionaire players and billionaire owners often pay little attention during lockouts.

Losers: Rookie Players

Rookie are always losers in lockouts because they are so excited to begin their NHL careers, but have to settle for the AHL, junior hockey or playing overseas during the work stoppage.

Fans of teams who selected in the top 10 of the first round in June's NHL draft, such as the Edmonton Oilers, are anxious to see these rookies develop into stars.

Unfortunately for hockey fans, the last time there was a lengthy lockout, many of the players selected in the draft that June (in 2004) did not go on to have successful NHL careers.

From the first two rounds of the 2004 draft, just Evgeni Malkin, Alexander Ovechkin and Mike Green have made an All-Star appearance.

Losers: Veterans Who May Retire

There are plenty of veterans, including several star players, who might never play another NHL game if there is a cancelled season.

Ottawa Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson, Anaheim Ducks forward Teemu Selanne and free-agent goaltender Dwayne Roloson are three notable players whom fans may never get to see play again if a new CBA isn't finalized in time to save the 2012-13 season.

It will be awful if a prolonged lockout forces these players to retire. It will also be interesting to see if any players in this situation stand up to their peers and pressure the NHLPA to get a deal done.

Losers: RFAs Who Didn't Sign Before CBA Expiration

Over the last week, we saw many restricted free agents successfully sign new contract extensions under the terms of the previous CBA. Fearing a rollback and/or a reduction in player salaries, these RFAs wanted to get their deals done before Saturday so they could maximize their future earnings.

Young stars such as Tyler Seguin, Milan Lucic, Evander Kane, Cam Fowler and Tyler Ennis all signed new contracts over the last two weeks.

The RFAs who didn't sign extensions will likely end up making less money in the next CBA, since the owners aren't likely to sign a new deal that doesn't reduce player salaries in some way.

Players like P.K. Subban, Jamie Benn and Michael Del Zotto might regret not working out a new contract before the deadline on Saturday.

Losers: Teams in Small/Nontraditional Hockey Markets

Fans of teams in major American markets such as New York, Boston and Philadelphia, as well as those in every Canadian market, will likely come back in very strong numbers whenever the lockout ends.

However, many of the smaller-market and nontraditional hockey-market teams could lose a lot of fans if it takes many months to reach a new CBA.

Teams that were just starting to gain fans due to playoff appearances and the emergence of young stars, like the Dallas Stars, Nashville Predators and Carolina Hurricanes, could suffer greatly during a lockout.

It's interesting that Gary Bettman has worked so hard to expand the game to nontraditional hockey markets in his tenure as NHL commissioner, yet he has no problem letting the league go through lockouts, which hurt these markets more than anything.

Losers: League, Team, Arena Employees Who Lose Their Jobs or Take Pay Cuts

A large number of employees that work for the NHL, its teams and the arenas they play in will be laid off or forced to take a pay cut during the lockout.

Not only do many of these people rely on the income from these jobs to feed their families, there are a lot of senior citizens and college students who need the money to barely pay their bills.

This could be the group of people that lose the most during the lockout.

Winners: Overseas Leagues

Playing signing with teams overseas will make up a large portion of hockey headlines for the rest of September.

As I wrote earlier this month, the KHL could be a major winner of the lockout. Thus far, star players such as Evgeni Malkin and Ilya Kovalchuk have already signed with KHL teams.

Overseas leagues who are fortunate enough to lure major NHL stars to their teams will certainly be among the biggest winners of the lockout.

Winners: The Owners

The owners are once again in a position of strength during an NHL lockout. They have the high ground in this battle and can afford to wait out the players in the hope that they give in when finances and the desire to play become factors.

It's hard to see the owners losing in these negotiations. The only way that the players could win this time is if some owners who are desperate to play because they have Stanley Cup contenders or are losing money decide to speed up the negotiations to get a CBA done.

Fans will be hoping that rich owners in large markets decide to stop the nonsense and ensure the season isn't lost.

Winners: NFL, MLB, NBA

Whenever one sports league enters a lockout, the other leagues that play during the same season inevitably benefit.

Instead of the American media in places such as Boston, Los Angeles, New York and Philadelphia talking about the NHL in September and October, they will be focusing on things like NBA season previews, NFL content and MLB playoff coverage.

Expect NBA teams that play in cities where there's also an NHL team to see a rise in ticket sales and television ratings.

The NHL lockout could be a great situation for the NBA.