The National Hockey League lockout has not brought economic despair to St. Paul, despite the complaints of city officials and business owners, the Star Tribune reports.
Some individual downtown businesses are no doubt being hurt by the lockout, which is dragging into a fourth month. A few bars and restaurants have reported severe profit losses. Eagle Street Grille Joe Kasel laid off two-thirds of the staff.
But state sales taxes and lodging taxes in the city increased slightly in November compared to November last year, when the NHL’s Minnesota Wild were playing at the Xcel Energy Center downtown, the Star Tribune says.
Given stalled contract negotiations between the league and players, games have been canceled at least through Dec. 30, and the NHL season hangs in the balance, the Sporting News reports.
