Just hours after breaking up on what was the most positive day of the NHL lockout, owners and players are back at the bargaining table to try to get closer to a deal to rescue the hockey season.
The sides met for nearly eight hours on Tuesday in a pair of sessions that included big and smaller groups and didn't break for the night until midnight. They are reconvening Wednesday morning before the NHL Board of Governors are scheduled to get together around 11 a.m. ET. The possibility exists that bargaining will resume following that meeting.
While no details of what was discussed Tuesday were released, the addition of new owners to the negotiating process and a group of 18 players — without NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and union executive director Donald Fehr in the room — helped move the process forward and create a sense of optimism.
"In some ways, I'd say it might be the best day we've had, which isn't too overly optimistic of a picture," NHL Players' Association special counsel Steve Fehr said after the sides broke just before midnight on Tuesday.
The respective leaders were again nearby on Wednesday but removed from the discussions.
Different variations of the group shuffled between rooms for more than eight hours at a midtown Manhattan hotel while whispers of optimism circulated through the hallways.
Strong voices
Penguins captain Sidney Crosby was among the 18 players who sat across from six team owners, including Pittsburgh's Ron Burkle, and those two were said to be strong voices in the room, according to sources.
"Sid's a team guy," said one source close to Crosby. "He's about the game."
Even though Bettman and Donald Fehr stayed out of the official sessions, they were present at the hotel and held private sessions with their constituents.
It was hoped that an altered dynamic at the bargaining table might break the stalemate in talks and it seemed to work. The atmosphere was collegial as Daly and Steve Fehr shared the podium — both looking exhausted after a long day of meetings — and the deputy commissioner went out of his way to single out the players who participated in the session.
There appeared to be a heightened sense of urgency around negotiations with the league owners scheduled to gather Wednesday and more cancellations expected by the end of the week. All regular-season games through Dec. 14, plus the Winter Classic and all-star game, have already been wiped off the schedule.
By the time talks finally broke off in the wee hours of Tuesday night, there was a glimmer of hope that a bigger announcement — a tentative deal — could be coming instead.
Four of the owners in attendance were taking part in their first bargaining session — Burkle, Winnipeg's Mark Chipman, Toronto's Larry Tanenbaum and Tampa's Jeff Vinik — and were accompanied by Boston's Jeremy Jacobs and Calgary's Murray Edwards, both part of the NHL's negotiating committee.
Cross-section of PA membership
The players in attendance represented a cross-section of the NHLPA's membership.
Stars like Crosby, Jonathan Toews, Ryan Miller and Brad Richards joined the likes of Ron Hainsey, Mathieu Darche and Kevin Westgarth, who have been heavily involved throughout the summer.
The same group was expected to get back to work on Wednesday.
"We're going to work hard to try and get a deal," said Daly.
Both the league and union are believed to have made moves towards one another on Tuesday — and that will need to continue for a deal to get wrapped up.
Money has been the biggest issue the sides needed to bridge.
Even though both the league and union proposed a 50-50 split of revenues over the last month, they remain separated on payments to be made outside the system to help ease the transition from the previous deal, which saw players receive 57 per cent. The NHL has offered $211 million US in deferred compensation while the union has asked for $393 million.
There are also a number of rules governing player contracts that must be worked out before a new CBA is signed.
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NHL owners, players talking mere hours after encouraging session
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