First it was the hockey lockout keeping players off of the ice, now it's the "love lockout" keeping wives and girlfriends out of the lives of their significant others.

Trading in Saturday night romantic woos for the gruff chatter of Don Cherry's voice, they are the "hockey widows" who have lost their loved ones to the game -- again.

"During hockey season, our life is totally taken over by hockey and I didn't realize how badly that was happening, until the strike came along," Lauren Burrows, who is engaged to a hockey fanatic, says.

"And then all of a sudden there was this beautiful freedom from hockey that I didn't know that I needed."

That freedom extended from Sept. 15, 2004 until Wednesday, when the 2005-06 NHL season kicked off. Now that these women have been treated to a life without hockey because of the 16-month strike, many are finding it hard to adjust to the new schedule.

"I can't say that our relationship is in trouble, but I must say that watching hockey several nights a week, including the nights that he goes to play hockey, can get a little boring," Burrows says.

With their husbands distracted, like-minded women are even seeking out support in online forums.

It's the struggle for attention that can make some women feel angered.

"I think a lot of times women particularly feel that they're far less important then a great game," lonely hearts columnist Maureen Scurfield says.

Dean McCord is a Calgary Flames hockey buff who has turned his basement into a full-out shrine dedicated to his favourite team.

"I think it would be a little tough if they weren't interested in this," McCord says, referring to having a girlfriend that would be indifferent to the game.

Thankfully for McCord, his girlfriend thinks it's important to support her man during hockey season.

"It's a great sport to watch and exciting," says McCord's girlfriend, Joanne Sallenbach. "Go get a team jersey, support your man. Get out there and enjoy it."

Ruthie Asch is not as enthusiastic. She misses the date nights with her husband that have now been sent to the penalty box.

"It's actually a bit of a rift because he spends a lot of time watching it, reading about it, and catching the highlights over and over again," Asch says.

For now it looks like a reality that Asch is just going to have to deal with.

"My Saturday nights are a little bit lonelier," Asch says.

With a report from CTV's Sarah Galashan