The NHL and NHLPA met with federal mediators for a second time on Wednesday, and it appears no progress was made once again. That makes the mediators 0-for-2, or 0-for-3 if you also consider they failed to save Twinkies and a whole array of Hostess products last month.
An NHL contingent consisting of NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, deputy commissioner Bill Daly and a team of lawyers met with mediators in one separate room, and 13 NHL players along with Steve Fehr and Donald Fehr met in a different conference room while going over the last few weeks of negotiations.
The two parties, along with the federal mediators, were tracked down in Iselin, New Jersey by dogged members of the hockey media, but there wasnt much to say after the day of meetings had concluded. Daly told reporters there was no conclusion to the mediation process as the NHLPA held discussions among their membership on Wednesday night, but it didnt appear things had changed from last week.
The NHLPA was supposed to get in touch with mediators after discussion among their membership, and the mediators would then get in touch with the NHL if there was reason for further dialogue.
The players were reportedly asked if they would accept the NHLs offer from last week that included a 300 million make whole provision along with a 10-year CBA, five-year contract term limits and strict five percent variances on year-to-year contracts to eliminate back-diving deals. The NHL, however, was quick to say that didnt mean their previous offer was back on the table after Bettman yanked it off during his fire-and-brimstone address with the media last week.
There were discussions of the various issues involved and how far apart we are and where we go from here, said Fehr to reporters following the day of meetings with mediators. I cant tell you that any progress was made.
So instead the lockout will roll into Day No. 89 on Thursday with a possibility that the NHL and NHLPA will meet to continue hammering away at an impasse that both sides dont seem willing to budge from. Or another possibility that they wont meet and will instead push things to next week as the clock ticks loudly on the ultimate fate of the 2012-13 NHL regular season.
