NHL, players union return to negotiating table Tuesday

Toronto, ON, Canada (4E Sports) – Representatives of the NHL and players association return to the negotiating table Tuesday and try to work out an agreement that will end the lockout.

Expected to attend the meeting are NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly, NHL Players Association Executive Director Donald Fehr and NHLPA Special Counsel Steve Fehr.

“Hope to have further dialog and discussion about how to move forward and get out of the place we are in,” Daly told the Los Angeles Times via email. “Seems like we’re stuck right now. Need to get ‘unstuck.’”

In the past few weeks, the two sides met and tackled issues such as player safety and drug testing but stayed away from core issues such as revenue sharing and finances. Disagreement on core issues has forced the league to lock out players.

The two sides are at a standstill regarding hockey-related revenue. The owners want to reduce the players’ share from 57 percent to about 47 percent. The union has offered to accept diminished pay raises that would reduce players’ share of revenue to about 53 percent.

About 100 players have signed with foreign teams since the lockout began. During the 2004-05 lockout, when the whole season was canceled, nearly 400 players joined European leagues.

The league recently cancelled the first two weeks of the regular season, or 82 games from Oct. 11 to Oct. 24, after past negotiations produced no positive result.

Daly refused to say whether the cancelled games could be rescheduled if a new collective bargaining agreement will be reached.

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