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NHL, Players Finally Making Some Progress In Labor Talks

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Not that so many people have missed the NHL, but the league and players seem to be finally making some headway in labor negotiations that have claimed the first month of the season.

A secret, long-awaited bargaining session has spurred so much hope that there are plans for another meeting in coming days.

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly and players’ association special counsel Steve Fehr met for long stretches Saturday in an undisclosed location, marking the first time the sides had gotten together for talks in more than two weeks.

”We had a series of meetings over the course of the day and had a good, frank discussion on the most important issues separating us,” Daly told The Associated Press in an email Sunday morning. ”We plan to meet again early in the week.”

Daly and Fehr hadn’t met since Oct. 18 when both sides rejected offers, but a series of phone conversations this week did enough to produce a new round of talks. It is unclear how long they were together on Saturday, but the discussions lasted well into the night.

”I agree with what Bill said. Hopefully we can continue the dialogue, expand the group, and make steady progress,” Fehr said Sunday in a statement.

There is a sense of urgency now because nearly two months of the season and the prized Winter Classic have already been called off. The hope of a full season being played is already gone, and if a deal isn’t reached soon, the NHL could be looking at its second lost campaign since 2004.

The lockout reached its 50th day Sunday, but a glimmer of optimism emerged. There have already been 327 games canceled – including the outdoor Winter Classic that was wiped out Friday.

A big point of contention between the NHL and the players’ association has been the ”make whole” provision, which will ensure that all existing player contracts will be paid out regardless of any changes made to the split of hockey-related revenues or contract language.

The NHL appears ready to cover more of the costs of those deals as opposed to making them part of the players’ share of revenue in future years. In its most recent offer last month, the NHL said it would honor the current contracts in deferred payments, but those would be included in the players’ share of revenues.

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