NHL

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

NHL sides still talking, but not about core issues

Not known when economics will return to the agenda

By: Ira Podell

Posted: 09/30/2012 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

Peter J. Thompson / postmedia news archives NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said Saturday�s meetings were necessary, but just the �underbrush.� (CNS PETER J. THOMPSON)

NEW YORK -- The best that can be said about back-to-back days of negotiations between the NHL and the locked-out players' association is that the sides are still talking and making more plans to meet yet again.

While core economic issues still weren't on the agenda Saturday when the opposing groups got together again at the NHL office, dialogue continued on secondary topics that will ultimately go toward forming a new collective bargaining agreement.

NHL Players' Association head Donald Fehr and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman held a second round of private talks Saturday in an effort to move closer to an agreement that would end the ongoing lockout.

While negotiating teams from the union and the league discussed definitions of what makes up hockey-related revenue -- the pool of money the sides are trying to figure out how to split up -- Fehr and Bettman talked about the differences that are keeping the sides apart.

"I spent a few minutes with Gary talking about the overall situation, and we agreed to keep in touch," Fehr said Saturday. "I am sure we will talk again (today). I don't know whether we will meet again (today). That remains to be seen.

"I am not going to talk about the specifics, but in general we're trying to discuss how do we find a way to make an agreement. How do we bridge the gap on the major issues that are between us."

The sides met for about four hours before finishing Saturday, and they agreed to meet again today. The agenda likely will include discussions on health and safety issues -- a topic that made up a chunk of Friday's talks -- and miscellaneous legal things, such as grievances, game tickets and other topics.

Clarifications as to what will fall under the umbrella of hockey-related revenue in the next agreement dominated discussions Saturday. No concrete resolutions were made, and the topic could be revisited today.

"I am not sure if we have identified discrepancies," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said. "I think the nature of what we were trying to do (Saturday) was to create certainty on interpretations we've had over seven years of this CBA operation.

"These meetings are necessary but they have been described as the underbrush, and certainly they aren't the main issues that need to be tackled to get a deal."

In the recently expired collective bargaining agreement between the league and the union, the players received a 57 per cent share of hockey-related revenue.

The NHL wants to cut the number down to under 50 per cent in the new deal. The league imposed a lockout on Sept. 16, when the previous agreement ran out, and the sides didn't meet again until Friday.

"Their position on the big stuff has been that a major move consists of changing the players' share from a reduction of 24 per cent to 171/2 per cent," Fehr said.

"Our initial proposal made a move in their direction. We have amplified that by giving them several different ideas to consider about how to lengthen the agreement to how to be more in line with what they wanted."

Fehr said discussing what exactly makes up hockey-related revenue is significant, because that will determine how much money is there to be divided.

"Today was mainly on HRR issues: definitions, clarifications and so forth," NHL Players' Association special counsel Steve Fehr said. "We had a frank exchange of views."

-- The Associated Press

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition September 30, 2012 A8

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