Don't sacrifice the charities.(NHL)

The regular season should have started this week. Disappointed? Imagine being a 9-year-old cancer patient who was looking forward to a night away from needles, a night out at a game thanks to one of many player programs around the league.

The NHL and its players give sick and disadvantaged children a break from difficult lives. But without games, the result of the lockout, these nights won't happen. This isn't the only area in which charities and children will suffer. Some events unrelated to games still could happen, but they won't because the teams and players can't come together.

To their credit, teams are trying to support their charities without the players. In Columbus, the Blue Jackets' staff already is planning to step in for players in the team's annual Adopt-a-Family holiday event.

Describing the program, director of communications Todd Sharrock says, "There's a Christmas tree with ornaments that have the name of a child or family. A player picks the name off the tree. It'll say, 'Tommy Smith, red fire truck.' The child wants a fire truck, and his family can't afford it, so the player will get it for him. We're going to do that as a staff this year."

Staff, coaches and former players will handle team events, such as hospital visits. Players can make appearances on their own, and according to the players' association, many are actively planning events. Free-agent defenseman Joel Bouchard and Avalanche defenseman Bob Boughner are scheduling charity games, and others are in the works. Charitable organizations also can call the NHLPA and try to work out arrangements for player appearances.

It's something, but it's not the best plan. The best method involves teams and players working together. But it's not as if teams can't contact players for charity events at all. According to NHL vice president of communications Bernadette Mansur, if a team runs a player's charity, the team can contact that player for appearances and events. The Lightning runs Brad Richards' Richy's Rascals and continues to communicate with Richards about events benefiting pediatric cancer patients. His suite for children and their families not only is used for games but also for family shows at the arena, so the team will distribute those tickets.

But the Lightning is an exception. Calls to other teams revealed confusion and the assumption that no player could be contacted. Mansur says that will be clarified. Teams are allowed to contact a player who is heavily involved with a club program, even if the program doesn't carry his name.