DETROIT, MI – How big of an economic impact could the NHL lockout have on Hockeytown?

With the stalemate between the league and players now 10 days old, MLive Detroit has reached out to veteran economist David Littmann, who has studied the economic impact of sports teams and major entertainment events on cities, to gauge the economic impact the Red Wings would add (or take away) from the city this year.

Littmann's conclusion: If the Detroit Red Wings do not play a single home game this season, Detroit will be out $84.4 million.

Littmann reached this number by estimating that the Red Wings would play about 45 home games at the Joe Louis Arena, with that number including a handful of playoff games.

He considered the average ticket price for a game as $53.26, based on a compilation of average rates at statista.com, and estimated the average attendance per game at about 20,000.

Littmann then estimated about $20 per person would be spent on souvenirs and food. He added transportation and parking revenues, totaling an estimated $900,000. He tacked on magazine, radio, television and other expense outlays at $200,000.

Added to those elements was a "multiplier," which he said adds the "second and third effect" of game attendees' dollars spent in the immediate area.

"I gave it the benefit of doubt," Littmann said. "Instead of the usual 1.4 multiplier I used a 1.2 multiplier. That's how I raised that $73 million to $84.4 million."

For comparison, Littmann said the typical economic impact of major non-sports events throughout Michigan range between $7 million and $30 million.

The figure he reached in the case of the Red Wings' economic impact, he noted, is only an estimate and could sway by millions of dollars in either direction.

"For a bell-curve I'd probably give it even as much as 15 to 20 percent either way," he said. "But I think that $84 million is a pretty good estimate."