Saturday marked what would’ve been the Winnipeg Jets first home game of the 2012 season, but the day came and went without so much as the scrape of a skate.

The National Hockey League and the players’ union are embroiled in a collective bargaining dispute, leaving players locked out and the NHL season on hold until a deal is inked.

Disappointing news for hockey fans in Winnipeg, who only saw their beloved Jets return for a single season after over a decade without a team.

“It was like that girl back in high school that you haven’t seen in 15 years – all of a sudden she’s interested in you. Then after a year she leaves you,” said Joe Cefali, a Jets season-ticket holder.

Fans aren’t the only ones feeling the sting of the lockout.

Businesses are also seeing a hit to their bottom line.

The manager of Arkadash Bistro and Lounge on Portage Avenue said he’s seeing about half the business he would expect to if the Jets were playing.

“Being a business owner downtown, we felt the Jets were really helping along the progress here,” said Kelvin Peters, Arkadash’s manager. “It’s a setback for the area.”

Now Peters is offering incentives like complimentary valet parking to try and get customers in the door.

“We want to let people let go of their worries about parking downtown,” said Peters.

Small changes may help Arkadash, but the impact on the wider community is going to be huge according to the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce.

“You’re not going to need as many employees,” said Chuck Davidson of the chamber. “Retail is going to be affected – not buying NHL merchandise. If we don’t have games, it’s going to be a real challenge.”

Davidson said the Jets typically bring about $60 million into Winnipeg within a season. Now, with the lockout going on for almost a month and no NHL games on the books until the end of October, the losses are beginning to add up.

Fan Cefali said regardless of when the team returns, the city will be waiting with open arms – and likely open wallets.

“There’s a die hard hockey market here and there always will be,” said Cefali.