NHL, NHLPA return to negotiating table, exchange proposals

NEW YORK — The NHL and the players' association swapped proposals Wednesday in an effort to head off a lockout scheduled to start this weekend.

The NHLPA, led by executive director Donald Fehr, made its presentation in the morning, but that was quickly dismissed by the commissioner, Gary Bettman, who said it wasn't much different than earlier offers.

Bettman then met with Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs, and Murray Edwards of the Calgary Flames, and a new NHL offer was handed back to the players' association with a shelf life on it.

"We made clear in presenting the proposal that this proposal was intended to lead to a deal before the weekend," Bettman said after the nearly three-hour meeting, "and that if in fact a deal was not achievable, what we had proposed would be off the table. We were quite clear on that."

After not meeting face to face since last Friday, the sides gathered Wednesday at the league office before the NHLPA was to hold player meetings later Wednesday at a New York hotel. The NHL board of governors will convene Thursday with Bettman, while the union holds a second day of discussions with more than 250 players.

This was the first formal session since Aug. 31. No new meetings were immediately scheduled, but both sides expected to talk again no later than Thursday after their internal meetings were concluded.

Fehr said the union's new proposal was "consistent" with the last one it submitted. The league responded with its time-sensitive counter, and Fehr, despite the developments, admitted he does not "know whether this will lead to anything."

"Our proposal was made with the same principles that we have always had in mind and those are that we didn't see any reason — given the seven years of record revenue growth and enormous concessions the players made the last time — to have an absolute reduction in player salaries," Fehr said. "They are prepared to have their share fall over time as revenues grow, and that we hope to partner with the large revenue teams in terms of providing whatever assistance to franchises may be called for generally under revenue sharing."

The NHL again came up from its original offer of 43 percent of hockey-related revenues going to the players. In an earlier proposal before Wednesday, the NHL pushed it up to 46 percent, and Bettman said the new offer was even higher without giving a specific number.

"We actually crafted the proposal after we got theirs," Bettman said. "We concluded that their proposal wasn't going to get us anywhere. With time running short, we actually crafted a new proposal that is different than the other proposals because it is much (more) simplified."

In the expiring CBA, the players were given 57 percent of the total. The definition of hockey-related revenues wasn't changed from the current deal.

"We're not asking for a rollback," Bettman said. "We have said that our proposal — the one that is time-sensitive — would have a phase-in, and while it contemplates the possible reduction in player share, if you use our estimates it would be under 10 percent. If you use the players' association's estimate on revenue growth, it would actually be seven percent.

"When you factor all of that in, it seems to me that having a work stoppage and damaging (hockey-related revenue) long term really doesn't make a whole lot of sense."

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