Getty ImagesThere's going to be a protest when the NHL returns. That much is certain. It may be signs or booing or empty seats. It may be something social media helps organize and formalize: Fans "locking out" arena concessions or official merchandise or banding together to boycott the opening week of games.

I'm not a believer in a massive, season-long boycott. Getting hockey fans organized for something that massive would be like herding a roomful of cats on a Red Bull bender. (The cats are the Red Bull. Not us. Red Bull is the magic elixir for proper cat herding. I read that on Wikipedia.)

Besides, hockey's our crack rock and we can only put down the pipe for so long.

That said: There are, and will be, fans that don't come back. And what the NHL and its players are completely, baffling, extraordinarily ignorant about is how easy it'll be for them to walk away from the game, and how their apathy will serve as an example for others that are on the fence.

The News & Observer has a piece on Thursday that deals with Carolina Hurricanes fans that have cancelled their season tickets. There aren't many, but some of the voices in this story are from the franchise's early years. They're die hards; and they've had enough.

Hockey photo via http://owenbradley.wordpress.comIf a pro hockey team features three goaltenders in a single game, chances are it's the exhibition season or you're watching All-Star Weekend or there's been some level of injury catastrophe that's forced your fourth line plug that played between the pipes back in youth hockey to don the pads.

[Also: Jaromir Jagr's tennis kiss-off caught on camera]

The Nottingham Panthers of the UK's Elite Ice Hockey League faced that last bit of adversity against the Edinburgh Capitals this week. But they were prepared for it, and may have made some hockey history in the process.

According to the Nottingham Post, the team's starting goalie Craig Kowalski — a former AHLer, drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in 2000 — was scheduled to play one period before returning home to be with his wife for "personal reasons." So the team had back-up netminder Dan Green ready to play the final 40 minutes, with an 18-year-old named Sam Gospel in the wings as an emergency backup.

With five minutes left in the game, there was an emergency: Green had to leave due to injury. So in a time of despair, Nottingham did what so many of us would do: They turned to the Gospel.

The young goalie closed out the game, and Nottingham achieved the rarest of hockey feats: Three goaltenders, combining to pitch a 34-save shutout in a 10-0 win over Edinburgh.

[More: P.K. Subban's entertaining turn as TV weatherman]

"We thought it might be a record," said coach Corey Neilson on Panthers TV after the game. "I don't know if that's ever been done."

Now it has been … but how was it legal?

Getty ImagesThe prevailing wisdom in hockey circles is that the owners aren't in total agreement on the lockout.

That some might see the work stoppage as a vital fight to ensure the financial viability of the NHL going forward. Others might see getting back on the ice as more important than quibbling over percentages of HRR.

The tricky part is that every owner in the NHL has competing motivations. The Nashville Predators, for example, are a team that dabbled in contracts that went longer than the proposed term-limits would have allowed and clearly see a benefit in playing as soon as possible — what with the momentum in the market and all.

Yet at the same time, they're one of those franchises that would want to see a 50/50 revenue split (or better) for the betterment of their financial standing.

[Also: Hockeytown takes big hit if Winter Classic canceled]

Hence, it gets confusing as to which owners want to play and which ones have Gary Bettman's back. Elliotte Friedman, in a brilliant column on the parallels between the NBA and NHL lockouts, offers an ownership scouting report:

The commish has three groups of owners: the ones who want to play; the ones in the middle, including Tampa and Nashville, who want a better collective bargaining agreement but recognize not playing is worse; and the hardliners. It would be a mistake to underestimate the last group. There are several who would rather cancel the season than accept a bad deal because they are hemorrhaging money and need immediate satisfaction.

While the players believe Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs is calling the shots, an educated guess at the final group includes but may not be limited to Anaheim, Columbus, Florida, the Islanders, Phoenix, St. Louis, Washington and Dallas -- enough to block any agreement from getting done (It's tough to lock it down because owners are forbidden to discuss this stuff. Attempts to talk to a couple were politely shot down).

As Friedman wrote: "This group is the biggest challenge for both the commissioner and the players."

Getty ImagesThe Buffalo Sabres have a really cool new addition to First Niagara Center called Alumni Plaza, which in keeping with the traditions of Pegulaville honors the Sabres' greatest hockey legends. It includes a "mural of all-time greats that extends across the walking bridge above the plaza," according to the Buffalo News.

Legends like Maxim Afinogenov.

Yes, Maxim Afinogenov, that riddle wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a puzzle wrapped in moments of offensive brilliance wrapped in questionable injuries. He made the cut. According to John Vogl of the Buffalo News, Dale Hawerchuk, Miroslav Satan, Don Luce and Rob Ray did not.

Dale … Hawerchuk. Let that sink in.

Vogl tries to make sense of it all:

On one hand, there's a case to be made for Afinogenov. He spent nine seasons with the Sabres. He ranks 18th in team scoring with 334 points, including 200 assists. He was popular among fans, with his jersey ranking among the league leaders in sales during the rush to the registers from 2005 to 2007.

Then again, Afinogenov's time in Buffalo is almost equally as notable for the down times. He slumped while refusing to play a team game. He suffered mysterious concussions. He was run out of town after totaling only 16 goals during his last two seasons.

Determining who should or should not be on an alumni monument is akin to the "ring of honor" and retired number debates: Non-Sabres fans can parachute in, be all "what the what?" and get slack-jawed over a perceived snub.

So we'll leave it to the Sabres fans in the readership: Do you want Maxim Afinogenov on that wall? Do you need Maxim Afinogenov on that wall?

s/t PHT

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: Super special big time guest! Derek Sanderson, Boston Bruins legend, joins us to talk hockey and the life of a playboy.

• What are we really missing if and when the Winter Classic is cancelled.

• Tyler Bozak's Michael Jackson costume flap.

Question of the Day: Which NHL'ers face would make the scariest Halloween mask?

Email your answers to jeff.marek@sportsnet.ca or tweet them with the hashtag #MvsW to @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.

More news from the Yahoo! Sports Minute:

Other popular content on the Yahoo! network:
• Giants ride eclectic cast to World Series title | Photos
• Fantasy football video: Advice for 49ers-Cardinals matchup
• N.C. State aims to emerge from shadow of

With all the focus on the Winter Classic and regular-season games being cancelled, the fate of the NHL All-Star Game has been, well, slightly overlooked. In the way that a library closing is overlooked in a hurricane, for example.

[Related: Hockeytown takes big hit if Winter Classic canceled]

As of last week, the 2013 All-Star Game in Columbus was safe, as deputy commissioner Bill Daly told the Dispatch that the cancellation of the game was "not imminent." This is in stark contrast with the chatter around the Winter Classic, which has been formally given soft deadlines for cancellation and is expected to get the axe this week.

This is the difference between being the jewel of the NHL's regular season and being an event in which many star players don't want to participate and that many fans see as a superfluous, often tedious waste of time. Outrage over the cancellation of the NHL All-Star Game in 2013 likely rivals that of a letter writing campaign to get the Yule Log back on TV for Christmas Eve.

That said: It means something to some hockey fans. Namely the ones in the cities that host the games.

If you've never been to one, it transforms sections of the host sites into hockey heaven: Giant fan fests, community events, banners, signs, a sense of celebration about the Game. Not to mention the in-arena experience, which is exponentially more memorable than watching the going-through-the-motions on TV.

[Nick Cotsonika: Pavel Datsyuk's wisdom, whimsy & wizardry on display in KHL]

All of this would have been bestowed upon Columbus, which is a hockey town that could use some streamers and balloons these days.

"Knowing the great fans that are here in Columbus, we're looking forward to what we know will be a great event," said NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman when the Columbus Blue Jackets were handed the 2013 All-Star Game.

The Winter Classic, one assumes, will be played in Ann Arbor the next time it's played. The NHL should live up to its hype regarding Columbus, and vow to return the All-Star Game to the city the next time one is held, even as it cancels the 2013 edition.

San Jose Sharks forward Logan Couture is playing for Genève-Servette HC of the Swiss National League A during the NHL lockout.

GSHC must be doing something right: There were no less than 10 North American players on its roster when the season began, including ex-NHLers Rico Fata and Dan Fritsche, along with Swiss-born Yannick Weber of the Montreal Canadiens.

[Nick Cotsonika: Pavel Datsyuk's magic act astonishes fans, teammates in KHL]

Perhaps it's the location. Or the facilities. Maybe it's their head coach, Chris McSorley, younger brother of Marty.

Or the fact that things can get a little whacky in the Swiss league, as they did on Tuesday night when GSHC and HC Lugano had this brawl at the end of the second period — complete with a goalie fight:

From Mr. Upsidown, who also had the clip on YouTube:

A brawl at the end of the second third involving many players and the two goalies, Tobias Stephan and Daniel Manzato. Players involved: Dan Fritsche, Goran Bezina, Kevin Romy, Logan Couture, Roland Gerber, Yannick Weber, Tobias Stephan (GSHC) and Johann Morant, Brett McLean, Julien Vauclair, Glen Metropolit, Daniel Manzato (HC Lugano). Geneva Servette won this game 4:3 in Lugano.

(By the way: Luca Sbisa and Patrice Bergeron are on the Lugano roster, and both scored in the game.)

Not only did GSHC win, but in wild fashion: Two goals in the last three minutes of the game to pull out the victory. It was the capper on a wild night that included fans throwing fruit from the stands.

@BrodyHemrichThe DVC Indoor Shooting Center in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia is a haven for guns, ammo and catharsis — a safe, controlled environment where one can shoot off a few rounds and work out life's frustrations on a target across the room.

[Watch: Halloween Bettman takes all the candy he wants]

Some shooters bring their own objects at which to aim and fire. Wes Yen, the manager of the gun range, said that Canadian pop star Justin Bieber is among the more popular homemade B.Y.O.T. (bring your own target) options. (We imagine getting a bead on Biebs has become more difficult since the haircut.)

DVC also provides some target options for shooters: The standard bull's-eye; a zombie target, so you can recreate the escape from the farmhouse in "The Walking Dead"; and, most recently, one that depicts NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.

"It seems to be one of our more popular targets. It's actually been a pretty big hit for us," said Yen.

It's not exactly the Bin Laden experience, but it's a way for hockey fans to express their frustration over the lockout. Albeit by pumping bullets into an avatar of a real person.