For the past month, the players and owners have been dancing around an agreement to end the season-long lockout, almost teasing the fans with back and forth bickering and proposals.

Last Wednesday, Commissioner Gary Bettman cancelled the season officially. On Saturday, there were rumors that the players and owners had reached an agreement to salvage the season. It turned out to be that: just a rumor.

So here the fans sit, without hockey. Many feel an inexplicable void in their lives. They try to fill the void by watching minor-league hockey, college hockey, or other sports.

But where does that leave us?

It leaves us without the stars that we’ve come to love. Although many players are playing in the minors or in Europe, a handful of NHL superstars may have laced up their skates for the last time. Steve Yzerman, who suffered a puck to the eye last year in the postseason and vowed to play again, may be forced into retirement by the lengthy work stoppage.

Seasoned veterans like Al MacInnis, Mark Messier, and Scott Stevens will have problems coming back from a long stoppage. This is a tragic way for these excellent players to end their storied careers. MacInnis can shoot the puck over a hundred miles an hour. Messier brought a cup to New York, and guaranteed a Ranger victory in 1994. Stevens is a feared blue-line bruiser. Yzerman is the longest standing NHL captain. Isn’t it a shame to end these things with a petty lockout?

Other players have turned to playing in the minors. It must be a thrill for the kids in the UHL to play with NHLers like Chris Chelios, Kris Draper, and Darian Hatcher, but is that really fair for them, or for the fans of the Motor City Mechanics’ players that they’re replacing?

The fans are hearing of more and more of their favorites playing in Europe, in Swedish, Russian, and Finnish Elite leagues. This is all well and good for them, but it leaves us fans with another void. It’s good to know that the players can get a paycheck somewhere, but where are the fans supposed to quench their thirst for hockey?

The most unique case is Brendan Shanahan. He’s hanging up his skates, and trading in his hockey stick for a lacrosse stick. Shanahan, a part owner of a lacrosse team, is looking for a tryout now that he’s locked out of hockey.

The owners are standing pat on their side of the lockout, as are the players. They both seem to be getting along just fine without each other. All of this leaves the fans as the odd man out.

There’s only one conclusion that can be reached. Hockey has lost something for me, and it will take an awful lot for everything to be back to normal. Right now, it feels like a sin to start caring about the Motor City Mechanics or the Swedish Elite. I’ve hung onto hope long enough. I hate to see players’ careers end like this. I hate to hear about them playing in Europe, where I can’t enjoy the game. Most of all, I hate that the only NHL hockey that’s going on in my world right now comes piped through my PS2.