It’s our second NHL-less weekend, and before we get to what you can do to fill the time — though not with anything wholesome or actually useful because who the fuck wants to do that? — let’s try and clear up some of the gloom and doom.

You have to look past the publicity stunts that abound in this negotiation right now. And it’s all publicity stunts. As evil it was, you kind of have to marvel at how the NHL was able to turn the PR war on it’s head in the span of what felt like seven minutes. But walking out of a meeting after less than an hour isn’t going to help anything, and nor is having your barely literate union members take to twitter to try and nail themselves to the cross.

In the end, both sides have gotten to a 50-50 split, and both have offered to get there next year. They may argue how to and what comes along with it, and maybe those obstacles are bigger than they seem. But the NHLPA’s “3rd” proposal and the NHL’s last really aren’t all that far apart, considering where both sides started from. And while there won’t be any news this weekend most likely, just like there’s been every time they’re not actually meeting there will be back-channel phone calls and conversations, and that’s kind of where the real work gets done.

Anyway, the viewing: