SAGINAW, MI —In his heart, Craig Goslin is a hockey fan, and that includes the NHL.

So as a fan, Goslin is quietly mourning the NHL lockout and the potential of a season without sitting down, turning on the TV and watching the Detroit Red Wings.

But as the president of the Saginaw Spirit, the lockout provides an opening to promote the Ontario Hockey League to NHL fans looking for a little hockey to watch.

The Spirit open the season with two road games, beginning with a 7:30 p.m. game Friday at Guelph and a 7:30 p.m. game Saturday at Owen Sound.

The home opener is at 7:11 p.m. Sept. 27 versus the Sudbury Wolves at the Dow Event Center. The Spirit play again at Dow Event Center at 7:11 p.m. Sept. 29 against the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.

Goslin is a “veteran” of NHL lockouts, having served with the Spirit during the 2004-05 lockout.

“We got a slight increase in attendance that season, maybe 2 percent,” Goslin said. “But Plymouth, in the Detroit area, got a bump of almost 25 percent.

“We would like to increase that this season if the lockout continues, maybe attract more Red Wings fans, maybe get up to a 5-percent bump. Our goaltender (Jake Paterson) is a Red Wings draft pick, so if Detroit fans want to get a look at potentially a future Red Wings goaltender, they need to come to our games.”

Even though attendance was up minimally, Goslin definitely noticed the increase in attention during the 2004-05 NHL lockout.

“We got a big increase in attention, both from the media and from NHL scouts,” Goslin said. “NHL scouts are divided into two groups … the amateur scouts and the NHL scouts. The amateur scouts are watching us, the USHL (United States Hockey League) and the NCAA games.

“The pro scouts are watching the NHL, but if there’s no NHL, they still need something to do. They’ll start watching our games and the other OHL games.”

That didn’t compare to the impact felt in Canada. Dom Papa, the Spirit’s new radio color commentator, covered the Windsor Spitfires during the 2004-05 season.

“In Canada, instead of NHL highlights on the major stations, you saw OHL highlights,” Papa said. “I’m sure we’ll see that again. The media attention on the OHL definitely went up without the NHL.

“As far as attendance, I think it depended on the city. Hockey fans still needed their hockey fix. With the NHL lockout, a lot of fans looked to the OHL, and I think there were probably some fans who had not seen OHL hockey before and liked it and stayed with the OHL.

“The lockout gave hockey fans a chance to see the type of hockey the OHL provides. Once people give it a chance, they fall in love with it.”

There is one ominous shadow lurking over the Spirit if the NHL lockout continues.

The Spirit are part of the Hockeytown Winter Festival, which includes a Detroit Red Wings outdoor game at Michigan Stadium. The Spirit would play Windsor on Dec. 29 at Comerica Park.

Even though they’re at different venues, odds are against a Spirit outdoor game if there is no NHL outdoor game.

“Right now, we’re preparing as if all systems are go,” Goslin said. “We’re planning like there will be a game. I’m optimistic that the two sides will reach a deal, hopefully by Thanksgiving. If that happens, there won’t be a problem with the game.”

But if the two sides do not come to an agreement and the lockout extends beyond December, the Spirit will start making plans for an outdoor game during the 2013-14 season.

“The Red Wings are assured of the next outdoor game, so if it doesn’t happen this year it will happen next year … and we’ll still be a part of it,” Goslin said. “I am assuming at this point that if there is no NHL game, we will not have an outdoor game. We’re hoping to play this year, but if not we’ll get ready for next year.

“That way, all of the work that everybody’s put in for this doesn’t go down the drain.”

Papa, for one, hopes the NHL solves its problems before then and the outdoor game can continue. But he also believes that the OHL games at Comerica Park should continue, with or without the NHL.

“The four OHL teams are stocked with future NHL talent … and you’re looking at Detroit fans who without the NHL are starved for hockey,” Papa said. “If there is a lockout, that may make the Comerica Park ticket even better. Hockey fans would get a chance to see some great hockey.”