Ohhhhh, Canada!

Sex toy retailers in Alberta, Canada say that business has been buzzing this autumn, and they think they know why: The NHL lockout.

“We’d be gearing up for [NHL hockey] now, but there’s nothing, so I guess we need to find some better ways to spend our time,” Vinay Morker, owner of Hush Lingerie and More in Edmonton, told the Toronto Sun. Morker says his sales of sex toys, sex games, sexual guides and lingerie have gone up 15 per cent since October.

While not all hockey fans have traded scoring goals for scoring with each other, Hal Roseberg, who owns Edmonton’s Tease Adult Boutique, told the paper that he’s noticed a similar spike in business.

“I suppose that’s one of the other reasons it’s as busy as it is — there’s no hockey,” he said.

On the other hand, maybe the rise in sales is simply part of a larger trend in consumer spending habits. In May, sex toy sales were projected to skyrocket on a global scale, with some experts crediting the bad economy.

“At a time when unemployment is high,” Stefan Dallakian, owner of Paris Intimates, told CNBC, “and bank account balances are low, people are passing the time by getting busy.”

– Huffington Post