Report: Sergei Kostitsyn wants lockout to last

• Kostitsyn is quoted as saying, "If the NHL season is lost - let it be that way"
• He also reportedly said he can't get used to the American mentality
• He's also quoted as calling Columbus "the gloomiest city" in the U.S.

Nashville Predators forward Sergei Kostitsyn reportedly hopes the NHL lockout goes on a while, potentially the whole season.

Kostitsyn was quoted in the Russian newspaper Sport-Express, saying he wanted a deep freeze in labor negotiations between the NHL and NHLPA. These quotes come courtesy of Reuters.

"Let's put it this way – it would be better (for the players) if the lockout continues," Kostitsyn said. "Players want a definite answer. If the NHL season is lost – let it be that way. I would then play in Russia for the whole season."

He later added that, he "couldn't get used to (American) mentality. They are totally different people from us."

The story also notes that he calls Columbus the "gloomiest city" in the U.S..

Kostitsyn, who's from Belarus, is playing with the Kontinental Hockey League's Avangard Omsk, based in Siberia, during the lockout.

Interestingly, Kostitsyn is a pretty popular player with the Predators. Maybe he was referring to his time with the Montreal Canadiens, where he wasn't received quite as well.

During last spring's playoffs, the Predators suspended his brother, Andrei, and Alexander Radulov for a curfew violation. Neither was re-signed.

Sergei Kostitsyn signed a two-year, $6 million contract in the offseason, so when the lockout ends, odds are he will be back in Nashville.

The NHL has canceled all games through Nov. 1, though it has offered the possibility of a Nov. 2 start of a full season if an agreement could be reached by Thursday.

Other Russian NHL players such as Alex Ovechkin and Ilya Bryzgalov have speculated that some players would want to stay in the KHL if the lockout cancels the season.