The lockout was probably already a given, as far back as March of this year. Now that it’s here “as advertised” by the players and owners, the faithful fans are scared and feeling left out in the cold. Well, it won’t be too long this time around, that’s for sure. In all likelihood, the season will commence in either late November or early December. The bottom line is that anything beyond that risks the Winter Classic, which in turn would provoke the owner’s wrath by writing off the entire season, etc. That simply can’t and won’t happen, as both sides know that such an outcome would do irreparable damage to all parties.