For most of you who dont know in my spare time iam a sports card, specifically hockey, collector and have a large Vancouver Canucks collection and a Patrick Marleau collection as well. And as it has to everything this tough economy has effected it in many ways, but for once it may be positive. Heres how i see the economy helping out my hobby.

During these tough economic times we have now seen a trend in the hobby where more collectors are selling off their collections and leaving the hobby in order to recoup some of the money that they have put into them, while others are cutting back and focusing their collections to a very limited point. With both large and small companies rolling out cut backs and layoffs in order to salvage something in this economy we have seen a increase in unemployment and subsequently a decrease in people spending freely on items such as cards and boxes. Not only is the casual collector being affected with not having extra money to put into this hobby, but also those individuals who depend on this hobby as a source of income are being affected as well. Hobby shops are being forced to close their doors, dealers are selling cards well below their value and more and more hobbyists are losing money every time they open a pack of cards let alone an entire case.

This past week management team decided to increase the price of tickets for next year. The increase isn't huge, only about 3% to a little over half the seats (55%) while the rest stay as is, but still in this economic climate an increase is still an increase. Yes most likely the increase is due to the poor ecomonmy and the owners are trying to put a little extra in their pockets, but also keep in mind that the demand for tickets is huge in this city and people will still buy them at an increased price point.

Is it only a matter of time before we see empty seats at a Cancuks Game?This practice of an increase isnt uncommon as the Toronto Maple Leafs have also increased ticket prices along with Buffalo and Washington as well, more so than in Vancouver, and the same is seen in other sports leauges across Canada and USA. With the increase only being a little over the 3% mark, dont expect the season ticket renewal rate of 95% drop dratically the next year, and if it does the 4000 or so fans on the waitlist will happily gobble the seats up quickly. Although in this tough economy even some corporations may have to rethink their season ticket renewal as well.

With the Canadian Government in disarray right now, Stephan Dion, Liberal Leader, has taken a huge step in trying to set up a coalition government with the Liberals, NDP and even the Bloc. This will force the minority Conservatives out of power and would make Dion our Prime Minister. For someone who said he was going to step down as Liberal Leader to Prime Minister of Canada this is a very different message being sent. Is this a good idea for the country, should we hit the polls again and waste Canadian taxes for another Conservative Minority, or will Dion's play nice tactic to form a coalition actually be a good thing for Canada?

With a slipping dollar and a failing economy my thoughts are that this may only make things worse, whos to say once this coalition takes control that the separate leaders will still play nice, and whats to say that the Conservatives don't go after the NDP to make their own coalition. If anything this may just throw gasoline into a political fire that is already burning out of control. This is a lose lose situation at best, if anything this may affect the economy and dollar in a more negative fashion, and instead of bringing stability to a government and country, it may just shake things up even more. No matter what happens in the end it is us the Canadian Taxpayer that's on the hook for the bill and the consequences.

With the Western Economy being in a downward spiral, all aspects of life are being affected. Stock Markets are crashing, the housing market has taken a big hit, and the price of oil per barrel has dropped almost 50%. But how will the failing economy affect the NHL and the three other major sports leagues? The answer is simple, less money being traded, and people losing big time in the stock market, there is a less amount of money being thrown around for tickets and merchandise. For this NHL season, most of the money is already in, sponsors have already paid their dues, the TV and Radio contracts are paid, many arenas are booked for the season, and season tickets are already paid in full, with long waiting lists in some markets.

But the real test will be in the offseason, and with merchandise sales for the rest of the season, not to mention playoff tickets as well, as none of that money is in the bank. With the league now being in a salary cap era, the cap has risen every year since its conception, but don't look for it to increase for next year. Many forecasters predict the cap to either fall, or stay steady.