NHL talks stall, both sides far apart on issue of revenues

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Gary Bettman, Commissioner of the NHL, speaks with reporters following talks with the NHLPA in Toronto on Thursday. (CHRIS YOUNG / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

TORONTO -- More meetings and more talk but no movement on the NHL labour front.

The NHL’s negotiating committee led by commissioner Gary Bettman and the player’s union fronted by executive director Don Fehr sat down for a couple of hours here Thursday but little headway was made as the two sides attempt to reach a deal prior to the current CBA expiring on Sept. 15.

The two sides agree on one thing and that is they are far apart on the main economic issue of how much money the players should get from the league’s revenues.

"The bigger point, I think that we made today," said Bettman, "goes to the fact that whether or not we’re talking about these contract or system issues, or if we’re talking about revenue sharing, it’s clear that we’re at a point that it’s going to be very difficult to move this process along until we deal with the fundamental economic issues... and certainly as it relates to the fundamental economic issue, we are far apart both in terms of magnitude and structure."

Bettman, along with deputy commissioner Bill Daly, will meet with Fehr and his brother and top lieutenant Steve Fehr.

"That is something we’re trying to get a handle on," Bettman said. "That was part of the purpose of Wednesday’s meeting with Don and Steve and Bill and me.

"As an attempt to try and move the fundamental economic issues forward we agreed, Don and I, that we would meet next on Tuesday in a group of Don and Steve and Bill and me to see if we can make some progress on dealing with the fundamental economic issue because I think there is an acknowledgment that at this point it would be quite difficult to move anything else along until we deal with that issue."

Bettman said the owners’ position in this negotiation is very plain.

"Well, we believe we’re paying out more than we should be, it’s as simple as that," he said.

Fehr believes there is still time to work out a deal.

"We have a lot to do. I have always believed that there is enough time. If there is a mutual will to do that, I still believe there is enough time to do that before the expiration of the contract, and that is not a date that we consider magic in any event," he said.

Fehr doesn’t share Bettman’s opinion that the split of revenue between the owners and players must be solved before anything else can be worked out.

"Well, our belief is that – and I think they share what I’m about to say even if we come at it from different perspectives – is that when you tie together the core economic issues in terms of the cap numbers, when you add to that the revenue sharing issues, when you add to that the player contracting issues, we don’t separate them and we have different approaches as to what makes sense and what needs to be tackled first," said Fehr.

"Having said that, they all have to be agreed upon or it’s not going to be agreed upon, so when we say we’re going to focus on core economic issues next week I expect that sooner or later we’ll get to all of those. Exactly what is going to come up first I don’t know yet."

gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @garylawless