LOCKOUT Notebook

ANTTI Miettinen has a city to get used to and a family to raise. And so when another on-ice practice session expires at the MTS Iceplex the Winnipeg Jets winger always has items to cross off his to-do list.

"I've got a couple of young kids and they can help take your mind off things pretty easily," Miettinen said with a grin. "It helps with a lot of things."

It was his concern for his family that, indirectly, landed Miettinen in Winnipeg last year. He began the season in the KHL with Kazan, his wife back in Finland with their young son and another on the way. When that situation wasn't working, Miettinen got out of his KHL deal and signed a deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning, only to have the Jets claim him off waivers.

He brought his family to Winnipeg just before Christmas and then tried to settle in to his new hockey home.

And now the lockout may force more upheaval.

"If (the lockout) keeps dragging, obviously players want to play and not just practise and hang around," Miettinen said. "That can get boring pretty soon if there's no games involved. I have some ideas, but we'll see.

"That's how it is with the hockey business. You have to prepare for stuff and try not to worry too much."

OFF TO THE ROCK: Alex Burmistrov, along with Derek Meech, Jason Gregoire and Kevin Clark, will be among those leaving Winnipeg for St. John's later this week. And for Burmistrov, who has spent two years in the NHL, the idea of the lockout depriving him of taking his next step in the pros isn't easy.

"It sucks, you know? You can't do anything," he said. "It's hard. I've never gone through this, this is my first lockout. It's hard for me because this is my first contract and I can't do anything (go to Europe). I'm just sitting and waiting to see when they'll start hockey."

Asked what he does in his spare time, Burmistrov was blunt:

"Nothing. Just relax at my home. Sit on the couch and play video games and watch TV... football. There's a lot of football games on TV now and movies."

And his favourite team?

"Patriots," he said. "But I did not watch a lot (of their game Sunday). I was sleeping. Sunday night, I relax."

WAITING GAME: D-man Cam Barker, an unrestricted free agent, is working out with the NHL gang at the Iceplex waiting for the lockout to end and -- hopefully -- the phone to ring.

"I'd like to start playing as quickly as possible," said Barker, the third overall pick in the 2004 draft who spent last year in Edmonton. "Hopefully something comes up. It's tough for free agents that haven't signed a deal yet. Obviously no team is going to be signing during this lockout. I've just got to stay in shape and stay ready to go and hopefully start playing games in whatever league that might be in."

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @WFPEdTait

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