Getty ImagesWe've reached the "nobody knows nothing" point of the NHL lockout.

Ask 10 people on either side of the table how the talks are going, or when the season might start, and you're likely to get 10 different answers. Some believe the season is lost; and yet you have teams like the Ottawa Senators polling their fans to find out how to make amends when the season begins.

The latest twist comes from Chris Botta of Sports Business Daily, who reported the following on Wednesday night:

Source: if there isn't a deal in place in next 7days, NHL will cancel games thru Dec. 15. Next cancellation could be the season. Also, optimism around team offices almost nil. Drop-dead date arriving soon. I'm still hopeful for a Dec (2012) start.

Well that's bleak …

Keep in mind this leak arrives as both the NHL and NHLPA have stopped talking, and with next week the likely deadline for a Dec. 1 start to the season — ensuring what many assume could be a 70-game campaign.

[Related: The two sides of the lockout story]

So we get a dire warning, in an attempt to get both sides back to the table. Question is: Even with yet another deadline looming, does either side have the desire to cut a deal?

And if not … how's about a mediator? (And yes, this is our formal suggestion that former Stanley Cup model Mark Wahlberg could, in fact, be that mediator. Especially if a foul-mouthed teddy bear is his Bill Daly. Who, come to think of it, is a foul-mouthed teddy bear ...)

GettyAs David Shoalts of the Globe & Mail noted this week, charities are taking a beating because of the NHL lockout.

Think about something like Movember: In a typical year, we'd already have a gallery or two of NHL dusters published by now, giving the movement its spotlight. Instead, it's struggling to maintain the same levels of interest (and no doubt contributions) from hockey fans.

So kudos to Brad Richards for following through on his word. The New York Rangers star returned from Florida to the city last week, seeking to help the victims of Hurricane Sandy any way he could.

We received an email from Joe Darcy today, detailing what Richards and the Rangers are doing:

A colleague of mine, Anthony Larca, is the head coach of St. Joseph by-the-Sea High School Hockey team on Staten Island, as well as a native Staten Islander.

As I'm sure you know Staten Island was hit particularly hard by Hurricane Sandy.  Out of the blue, Brad Richards contacted Anthony the other day asking to host a clinic this Friday to benefit Sandy victims.  Since then the event has snowballed, with Marian Gaborik, Ryan Callahan, Marc Staal, Dan Girardi, Carl Hagelin, Brian Boyle, and Steve Eminger also attending.

The clinic will be held at the SI Skating Pavilion on Friday, Nov. 16 in two one-hour sessions beginning at 3:30 p.m. The donation is $75; the clinic is just for youth hockey players, but anyone can come to the rink, donate funds and meet the players.

Email Vikings Hockey at vikingshockey@yahoo.com by Thursday, Nov. 15 with the participant's name and age; first come first serve basis. All proceeds from this event will go to support Hurricane Sandy victims through the Cardinal Egan Fund.

I've got a personal stake in the Sandy story, with friends and family having lost power and property back in Jersey and NYC. (And my parents losing their garage to three fallen trees.)

Along with the Rangers' clinic, the New Jersey Devils alumni team is also doing a charity event on Friday, taking on the coaches from the New Jersey Colonials youth hockey teams at 7 p.m. at Mennen Arena in a charity game to benefit the Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund and Morris County food banks.

Details for the game can be found here. That's only $10 to watch Friend of the Blog Ken Daneyko try and keep up with Bruce Driver and John MacLean for three hours …

Patrick Kane and Tyler Seguin are playing for EHC Biel in Switzerland, and it's our hope that someone over there has the good sense to film their adventures '24/7'-style. Because they seem fun.

There was the photo of Seguin trying to shoot Sith lightning out of his fingers while both players wore their garish jerseys-as-billboards. There were the totally bizarre promotional shots of Kane wielding two axes and a mightily Photoshopped Seguin raising his axe into the air He-Man style. (s/t That Katie Lynn for those images).

Now, via Seguin's Twitter feed, we see our heroes in a photo shoot with "Switzerland's top wrestler", who apparently isn't Antonio Cesaro. Our Neutral Grappler has lifted both NHL players up in the image above, which appears to be taking place in some type of bull fighting ring. Or what passes for a beach in Switzerland.

It's a Wednesday edition of Marek vs. Wyshynski beginning at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT, and we're talking about the following and more:

Special Guest Stars: Sean Pronger, author of "Journeyman", joins us to talk about his storied NHL career, including the Bertuzzi/Moore incident.

• The CBA talks hit a dead spell.

• Why being the GM of an expansion team is the kiss of death.

• News and notes from around the hockey world.

Question of the Day: Who is your all-time favorite NHL journeyman?

Email your answers to puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or tweet them with the hashtag #MvsW to @wyshynski or @jeffmarek.

Click here for the Sportsnet live stream or click the play button above! Click here to download podcasts from the show each day. Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or Feedburner.

Getty ImagesWayne Simmonds was oblivious to the vile taunts from the crowd.

Playing for Liberec of the Czech Extraliga during the NHL lockout, the Philadelphia Flyers forward discovered via an Internet video that fans of rival Chomutov had serenaded him with "Opice! Opice! Opice!" (translation: "monkey") during a game in October.

As his teammate, Czech native Ladislav Smid of the Edmonton Oilers, told Yahoo! Sports' Nick Cotsonika: "I felt ashamed for that city or for us Czech people. That's not what we are about."

Now the city has its chance to make a statement against ugliness and ignorance in among sports fans.

According to iDNES.cz, eight fans were arrested and "charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct and defamation of nation, race and other ethnic groups."

They face a hearing on Jan. 9, 2013, in Chomutov District Court and could be sentenced to a maximum of three years in prison.

The Czech site reports that the rowdy fans calls themselves the "Black Commandos", attending games in a black hooded sweatshirt and scarf, imbibing a considerable amount of booze before games. (One of the accused fans, Radek Pribyl, said he had 10 beers and two shots but was only "mildly drunk" because he's "trained" for that level of consumption.)

The NHL is locked out. The arenas are dark. But our hockey hearts are warmed by the notion that somewhere, Jarkko Ruutu is still pissing opposing players off.

Here is Ruutu, playing for Jokerit in an SM-Liga game against Ässät, sending Finnish forward Sami Mutanen Ässät over teä kettle with a check along the boards:

Or as Jarkko Ruutu would no doubt describe it, "assisting him in a line change." (Hey, good on him for not leaving his skates; never too old to learn...)

Jokerit lost the game, 5-2, to the aces on Tuesday night. Ruutu played 59 games for the team last season; his last appearance in the NHL was an April 24, 2011, Stanley Cup Playoff game for the Anaheim Ducks against the Nashville Predators. We can only assume he wanted to get out before Brendan Shanahan took over the Department of Player Safety …

Getty ImagesThere's no question that Joe Sakic is one of the greatest players of his generation, or any generation. His induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame this week underscores that, as do his lofty places on the NHL's all-time scoring lists, despite skating through quasi-legal clutches and grabs for a good portion of his prime. (And actually facing goaltenders with technique, and defensive systems designed to shut him down.)

But what about at his position?

[Nick Cotsonika: NHL lockout taints Hall of Fame ceremony]

In the last 25 years, we've seen the center spot dominated by the greatest player to ever lace up the skates, and the player many assume could have been even greater had it not been for his various ailments. We've seen two of the greatest captains in NHL history own the position in various ways.

If you were going to craft a Top 10 all-time greatest centers, Sakic would make the cut. But where?

Here are your Puck Headlines: a glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest blogosphere in sports and the few, the proud, the mainstream hockey media.

QCD• This is incredible: an old school hockey rink, open air in an aircraft hanger, just north of Cincinnati in the city of Hamilton. Queen City Discovery has the images, and they make us wish for a Field of Dreams magical renovation of the joint, complete with ghost players. [QCD, 'Duk]

• Remember the CHLPA, whose dysfunction made it the hockey union equivalent of an episode of 'Springer'? They've "officially" entered a request to play for the Stanley Cup this year if the NHL remains locked out. [Buzzing The Net]

[Also: Where does Hall of Famer Joe Sakic rank among all-time centers?]

• Elliotte Friedman does the 30 Thoughts thing, including: "While it's believed the league is willing to make some concessions on contracts (as long as it gets serious protection against Kovalchuk-like deals), all of this is tied into what it needs to give up elsewhere. The final stages of the world's worst-ever marathon affect one another. If the NHL bends on make-whole or on lost revenue, it may be less inclined to ease on contract length." [CBC Sports]

• Dr. Recchi's diagnosis for the NHLPA: Make the deal with the NHL and end the lockout. "They're always going to get paid, no matter what. Look at that last deal. We ended up with the cap and everyone thought it was a bad deal. But it ended up great, right? No matter what the system is, or has been, the players get their money. No matter what the contract, the owners always find a way to pay them more. That's why I say, get a deal and get back in there . . . the money's always there." [Boston.com]

• How will Adam Oates influence Alex Ovechkin's offensive game with the Washington Capitals? "Assuming Ovechkin will be on the ice for 50 power-play shots per 60 minutes — an increase from last year (47.4) — but converting those shots at a rate of 13 percent instead of the 11 percent average from the past two years, we can pencil in another 11 goals for Ovechkin that will come during the man advantage." [WaPo]

• You know who isn't going to look great when the lockout's over? Goalies. [Edmonton Journal]

• Our friends at Prep Rally are all over one of the most stunning stories of the week: "Pennsylvania high school hockey league bans national anthem to save money on ice time." [Prep Rally]