PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A week from Wednesday, Penguins fans were looking forward to getting reacquainted with the CONSOL Energy Center and the boys of winter.

But the return of hockey is in limbo as the players have been locked out in a labor dispute with the owners.

“Everyone just wants to be out there,” Penguins Captain Sidney Crosby said after a voluntary workout at Southpointe. “If the fans know that, hopefully they’ll understand and we’ll get this solved quickly.”

But in the meantime, this region stands to lose economically in a big way.

“Every game,”says Visit Pittsburgh President Craig Davis, “brings an economic impact to the city of about $2.2 million.” Davis says those impacts range from, “money that is spent in the hotels, in the restaurants, attractions, parking and souvenirs. It’s money that cannot be replaced.”

Allegheny County could lose about a half million dollars in drink tax revenue if there is no hockey season, and much more from the trickle down impact of all the workers who won’t be working serving tourists drawn to Pittsburgh by the Penguins.

No one is predicting how long the lockout might last.

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