Something tells me keeping count of this clusterfuck is a bad idea, but here goes nothing.

• No word yet on whether Jannik Hansen will be the first Canuck to jump ship and sign with another squad. As PITB notes, he's in no hurry just yet.
• Lockout woes hit Canucks employees.
• ...and the NHL corporate ranks.
• ...and the officials.
• First games of the season are officially gonzo.
• Bill Burr, your thoughts?
• How about some unsanctioned charity games while we wait this thing out? (Quick answer: oh hells yes).
• No hockey in the Chicago area means Hawks fans may turn to the Icehogs for a quick fix. Coincidentally their home opener is against the Chicago Wolves where Kassian, Lack, Schroeder, Ebbett and Tanev will be skating. This could be as close as we get to our annual Chicago/Vancouver brawl, so go ahead and circle October 13th on the ol' calendar.
• Sara Spain has a few good ideas for your attention right now, including a personal favorite of mine: roller derby. (For realz guys, it's crazy)
• Mr. Angus has your top 50 NHL Trade Value Rankings right here.
• Some choice quotes to send us to the bar more quickly: Mr. Modano, you go first:

Former NHL star Mike Modano, who was a member of the Dallas Stars when the '04-05 season was lost, recently told ESPN's Craig Custance of the work stoppage: "It was a waste of time." Modano said that he lost more than $7 million in salary.

"It's money you feel you never get back," Modano told Custance. "At some point, we were sold a bill of goods. Everybody was buying it. Everybody thought, 'Let's not let each other down. Let's do it for the future of the game. Blah, blah, blah.' You're only in the game so long."

He also added that "it's not a battle you're going to feel like you're going to win. It's a negotiation. You feel at some point that both sides will be upset about what they have to give up."

• Michael, please pass the mic over to Mr. Ovechkin (thanks to KK for the pointer)

"I knew that Dynamo was interested in me, as my Russia-based representative had immediately told me that," Ovechkin said, as translated by Malamud. "But we had already promised CSKA to only negotiate with them. But then, there was a small snag. We asked [CSKA] whether we can start negotiating with someone else. In the end, we started making contact with Dynamo and reached an agreement.

"As to the future, it will depend on what kind of conditions there will be in the NHL with the new CBA," Ovechkin said. "If our contracts get slashed, I will have to think whether to return there or not. I won’t rule out staying in the KHL, even past this season."

(It's impossible to take this quote at face value without recognizing the potential bigger mess it would create for the KHL/NHL and the IIHF - to speak nothing about Ovechkin's career and chance to play in the 2014 Olympics - but when one of the world's most talented and recognized hockey names tosses out the option of not returning to the NHL because of its second lockout in a decade, it's worth paying attention. It's more posturing sure, but as the migration of NHL hockey talent begins to ramp up, it's worth wondering what player read that quote and nodded in agreement.)

• Well, that was depressing. Let's end up an upbeat note: Henrik Sedin is one of the greatest playmakers in NHL history. Huzzah.