The goddamn NHL lockout is goddamn happening and I'm goddamn pissed.

So what the fuck do we do now?

There's speculation that the season won't start until after the New Year, so does that mean no Winter Classic? No HBO Road to the Winter Classic? No hockey until 2013!? You guys, I can't breathe.

If you're lucky enough to live in or near a city with an American Hockey League team, you might see some NHLers hit the ice after all, as a number of younger players have been sent down.

Since we don't have an AHL team in the Northwest, though, I plan on soothing my broken heart by attending a lot of Everett Silvertips and Seattle Thunderbirds games. Both teams open their season this Saturday—the Thunderbirds take on the Portland Winterhawks and the Silvertips take on the Prince George Cougars, and tickets start at $16 and $14 respectively.

If you need to drown your sorrows, you could also play Puck Daddy's Unofficial 2012-13 NHL Lockout Drinking Game. And soon we'll have a place to come together and grieve, once Seattle's new Canadian-themed bar opens up. It's called the Angry Beaver, it's in Greenwood, and they'll have POUTINE. And hockey. Someday. When hockey starts up again. If hockey starts up again. I don't want to think about it anymore.

As for the NHL: GET YOUR POOP IN A GROUP.