Federer says he will cut schedule

Roger Federer says he won’t play as often in the next few years but wants to compete in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The 31-year-old Swiss star finished the season ranked No. 2 in the world.

About a half hour after Donald Fehr said the labor war between the NHL was almost over, it seemed to get bloodier Thursday night.

While Fehr, executive director of the NHL Players’ Association, was painting a rosy picture during a news conference in New York and saying the sides had “a complete agreement on dollars,” the NHLPA was receiving a voice mail from the league, telling it that the union’s proposal was rejected.

The lockout lives. The NHL season stays dark. Fact is, the season may be headed toward its death if you listen to Gary Bettman, the NHL’s beleaguered commissioner.

Speaking in a controlled but irate tone, Bettman said all of the NHL’s “make whole” proposal of $300 million — the money would go toward guaranteeing players’ contracts — has come “off the table.” He added that owners who attended some meetings this week told him “the process is over.”

Bettman spoke after the NHL rejected a proposal from the players’ union.

“It comes as a disappointment, obviously,” Fehr said during the 82nd night of the lockout. “The next move is to talk to the membership and figure out what we do from there.”

Bettman said he was “disappointed beyond belief” and that “we’ll take a deep breath and try to regroup.”

According to Bettman, the union was “shockingly silent” when the league upped its “make whole” offer from $211 million to $300 million on Wednesday.

“The owners were beside themselves,” he said. “Some of them, I’ve never seen so emotional. (They) told me the process is over.”

Ten minutes before he was aware of the voice mail that said the league had rejected the players’ offer, Fehr said he believed a collective bargaining agreement would soon be signed.

Bettman called that view “almost incomprehensible” and that it’s “not the first time (Fehr) said we’re close when we weren’t.” He added that the last time Fehr said the sides were close, “we were a billion dollars apart.”

Fehr’s positive spin was odd because earlier in the day, the union said it wanted federal mediators to intervene again, hinting there were negotiating problems.