Raw Charge, a Tampa Bay Lightning community

Tampa Bay plays a pair in the greater Northeast this weekend, starting with the 7th seeded New York Islanders and moving on to Washington and the division leading(!) Capitals.

Sunday has been a weird day that followed 113 other weird days for hockey fans. Very early this morning, Gary Bettman stood in the middle of a media scrum pressed up against his mortal enemy Don...

You'll see hype, you'll see collective sighs of relief, you'll see rejoicing... But don't get caught up in the revelry. The NHL has aggrieved you, the fans, and an end to the lockout doesn't even begin to make amends.

All some of us want as a holiday present is to be given our team back; for Tampa Bay hockey fans - a few alternative "gifts" that are the sport of hockey.

However loyal you are to the Tampa Bay Lightning, the NHL's legal filings could lead to the cancelling of every contract of every player in the league.

They may all seem like bad guys, and it may seem like we're ignoring certain bad guys in the 2012 lockout too. Our question this week is who is the biggest villain of the 2012 NHL lockout?

They are close, they are far apart. The only thing left for NHL clubs to do is be ready - for a resolution or for a continued contemptuous affair.

The grand collapse of negotiations between the NHL and NHLPA dominate news.

Talks collapse and so does the hockey world.

While the situation isn't exactly "no news", it's close. Perhaps you can have a shred of hope that a resolution is forthcoming. At least, for the moment.