Another Friday for the record books, and the lockout has reached December 15th.  Players have needlessly thrown away their December paychecks by listening to Donald Fehr tell them that a better deal is still out there that the NHL is sitting on.  The longer this goes, the more damage the NHLPA is causing.  Here is your weekly look around the Fansided Sports Network.

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There are more dates swirling around right now about the potential start of the regular season than there are dooms day predictors about what is going to happen on December 21st, 2012.  Talk from across the pond is that European agents are being told that their teams could be looking for new talent when the new year starts.  Derek Stykalo at Gone Puck Wild looks at one such rumor.

As the lockout drags out, many fans are looking for unique and creative ways to get their hockey fix, or at least fill the void left by not having the NHL on every night to ease their mind.  Michael Amato from Editor In Leaf explores an interesting video that pits the 2012 Detroit Red Wings with his 2012 Toronto Maple Leafs, on the 1994 platform .   My favorite part about this?  The Leafs lost.

If your interested in seeing the blue and gold sweaters skating on real ice – you don’t have to wait for the NHL Lockout to be over.  Melissa Kania at Frozen Futures is following the OJHL Buffalo Jr. Sabres – as they get off to a hot start in December, and get ranked by the CJHL as the number 8 team.

Deanna Vasso takes a look at her Adirondack Phantoms – who are not sharing in the same success that the Philadelphia Flyers are having – despite having some of the parent clubs top players among their ranks.  The silver lining here is maybe the orange and black won’t be so good when the NHL returns – which is always a plus in my book.  Not Calder contenders – that’s because your not Stanley Cup material either.

Don’t tell new editor Stephann Phillips that hockey is not a trending topic in the Carolina’s.  Not only is she on the pulse of the Carolina Hurricanes, but the surging Charlotte Checkers as well.

The positive thing is tonight starts the weekend, and hopefully talks continue between the NHL and the NHLPA.

As I am writing this, we could either be sitting in Lockout 2012 day 83 – or we could have an announcement that brings hockey back.  Either way our talented writers from around Fansided keep the faithful watch on the news bringing you the best in analytic opinions.

Here is one from our Minnesota Wild site, Gone Puck Wild.  Scott Drain takes a look at C.T.E. and the dangers in hits to the head and the long term effects it could have on a player.  It is an issue that never gets old – and deserves as much press and face time as possible.

While the Boston Bruins are my second most hated franchise in the NHL after the Philadelphia Flyers – our Bruins editor has a great hockey spin on a Christmas classic that is very appropriate if the NHL Lockout continues.

Hockey is, and forever will be, despite the bastardization that Bettman and Fehr are giving it, a game based on history and tradition.  Lockout 2012 is one of the worst moments in the sports collective history.  Lance Del Plato of Pucks and Pitchforks takes us back to One of Hockey’s Finer Moments.

I normally limit my Friday post to just five, and this was written a short time ago – but felt it fitting as to how the fan perceives the importance of the NHL playing the game.  I was on Long Island after the storm – it wasn’t pretty.

Recently Richard Matvichuk sat down with our staff over at Blackout Dallas – check out their interview with him here.

This a great post by the Anaheim Ducks team over at Ducks Daily – again, a little older (the post was written prior to federal mediators) but still appropriate given the state of things.