The NHL’s term of the week, hockey fans, was “disclaimer of interest.’’ What, you came to “Pro Hockey Notes’’ to read about hockey? There is no stinkin’ hockey, and there hasn’t been any since the Kings won the Cup at the end of June (who’s counting?), and right now no one on either side of the tattered red line can say for sure if the NHL game is coming back in 2012-13.

No one, by the way, includes commissioner Gary Bettman and union boss Donald Fehr. So while a million and one experts pontificate about the whys, wherefores, and howcomes of the CBA mess, those opinions amount to so many melted ice shavings. If the big boys don’t know, can’t say or won’t guess, then not even federal mediators can provide the answer — as was the case earlier this month when contract talks fell victim to the Zamboni’s scraper.