Halloween costumes inspired by the NHL lockout; you’ll laugh, you’ll cry (PHOTOS)

Somewhere around the umpteenth time a grimy kid dressed as a ninja rang your doorbell, you probably gathered that Wednesday night was Halloween.

Of course, not everybody was dressed like a ninja (especially not the kid that shouted, "I'm not a ninja! I'm a samurai!" when I said "hey, nice ninja costume" like an idiot.) With the labour stoppage still dominating their thoughts, several hockey fans wore costumes inspired by the NHL lockout, like the one above.

[Also: Which NHL owners are driving the lockout?]

It was an easy costume, really. All anyone needed to do -- and all many did -- was pull an NHL jersey over their head then wrap themselves in padlocks and/or chains.

Viola! You're a member of the NHLPA.

I'm not quite sure which Buffalo Sabre the sad kid above is supposed to be, by the way, but considering his cardboard sign only promises he'll skate and nothing more, I'm going to suggest it's Ville Leino.

Anyway. What follows is a collection of Halloween costumes inspired by the NHL lockout.

From @allysonburrows comes a locked-out member of the Carolina Hurricanes. I think his padlock is too low. It looks like he's wearing a chastity belt outside his pants.

@mariosettino89 wears his padlock higher up, which looks better, although I wonder why he chose one the same colour as the Leafs' trim. Did the chain really need to match? Additionally, wearing it like a sash makes you look like you're a contestant in some sort of locked-out Maple Leaf beauty pageant, and if that's the case, good luck beating out Lupul.

Much better chain placement in this photo from @neeeky_. But who is "Locked Out" and why is he wearing King Clancy's old no. 7? I will not stand for this.

@ZMart33 mixes things up, wearing several locks on silver chains, and opting to forego the sweater, which makes sense since the players don't technically play for these teams now. Either that or he was just too cheap to get a jersey.

Tim Marklevitz goes not as a locked out NHL hockey player, but as a homeless NHL hockey player. It's worth noting his sign says he can skate backwards, but not forwards, so he's a stay-at-home type. Probably explains why he's so good at Microsoft Word, too.

Seth Thompson ponders his future. He needs work, but the question is whether he wants to be challenged in the SM-Liiga or tear it up in the Dutch League.

Ryan Jespersen gives us two costumes: player and owner. I tell you what, if these costumes are accurate, I'd way rather be an owner.

Hey, why not do without chains altogether? Just print "Locked out" on a piece of paper and call it a day, like @rocco_thestreet did. Heck, next Halloween, I'm just printing "Best costume" on a piece of paper and entering a costume contest. I'm a shoo-in.

Here's a great one from Reddit. First of all, they used good chains. Second, these two gents aren't just locked out players. The gentleman on the left is a current locked-out player. The gentleman on the right, in the since-retired Mighty Ducks away jersey, is a player from the 2005 lockout.

Not a costume, per se. More of a horrifying decoration. Let's hope the lockout doesn't last long enough for this happen. From Reddit.

Now, see, this is the problem with using chains that are too small. You just sort of look like you're blinging out. That simply does not jibe with the NHLPA's P.R. message.

But that works if, like @dmoody46, you're going as Gary Bettman, who wears lock chains as necklaces for ironic decoration, Flava Flav-style.

Here's another Gary Bettman costume, from the Twitter feed of Jack Johnson. It is my sincere hope that Gary Bettman actually carries around an NHL binder with his name on the cover.

Back to the locked-out player motif, courtesy @M0r3ttiKn0ck0ut. If you feel like spicing it up, you can always go as "sexy lockout" if you're a girl. Scratch that. It's 2012. You can go as "sexy lockout" regardless of your gender. I'm not sure what the girl in the middle is. My best guess is Sexy Baby Fairy Princess Beauty Pageant Contestant.

Or ignore the locked-out players altogether and go as a locked out puck bunny, like @kaitlundrigan did. Tough times for puck bunnies.

@PamelaMeilands wears her chains stylishly, both as a high waist belt and as a bolo necktie.

And finally, reader Scott goes not as a player or an owner, but as the as-of-yet unsigned CBA, even leaving space for Bettman and Fehr to come to an agreement. Tidbit: the text on his t-shirt is actually a direct transcription of one of the NHLPA's most recent proposals.