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How To Cure The Hockey Withdrawals

By Tim Bearden in News on Oct 7, 2012 8:00PM

Blackhawks fans, it's going to be a harrowing season. The NHL locked out its players and now has cancelled the first two weeks of the regular season.

This is the second time in a decade the labor union and owners have caused a lock out situation. In 2004-05 a dispute over the salary cap ruined an entire NHL season and cracked a fan base that was already broken to begin with.

Diehard hockey fans view this as yet another frustration and one reason hockey isn't aired on major sports networks. It's an unreliable sport in terms of viewership and, more recently, consistency. Since this lock out is looking more and more likely to ruin yet another NHL season, we polled the staff to give hockey fans some alternative activities until the players hit the ice again.

1. Watch "Slapshot" once a week instead. - Rob Christopher

What better way to satisfy some hockey bloodlust than to watch the misfits of the Charlestown Chiefs take to the ice in this Paul Newman comedy? The Hanson brothers inciting a fight before the national anthem is even sung can temper the most severe of five-for-fighting withdrawals.

2. Check out a college or AHL hockey game. - Lorna Juett and Josh Mogerman

DePaul and Loyola each have their own varsity squads and Northwestern has their own club team as well. And don't forget about the American Hockey League's Chicago Wolves, who aren't locked out. It's a good time to watch some of the up and coming professionals.

3. Start a league for displaced hockey players. - Tim Bearden

A lot of players try to join other leagues during lock outs to keep their competitive edge. Why not organize a league in Chicago for players who want to play, but have no where to go? Plus, haven't you always wanted to play with the pros?

4. Voraciously devour Bulls rumor sites for the latest on Derrick Rose's rehab. - Benjy Lipsman

Yeah, the Bulls will be playing, even though they won't have Derrick Rose for the forseeable future. With all those clever ad campaigns from Adidas, it would be easy to become helplessly obsessed with something else for a while. Maybe D-Rose could help by setting up a 24 hour webcam in his training room. It'd be like puppy cam, but for sports enthusiasts.

5. Take care of chomper troubles. - Rob Winn and Chris Bentley

This one's more for the players, but depending on the extent of your dedication, it could be for fans too. How about you take some time and fix those teeth. It's no fun watching toothless players get hit in the face. We want to see the incisors flying again!

If all else fails and you feel the need for cold weather sports—you could always learn the other Canadian sport of curling.