NHL sides settle for small talk
Bettman, Fehr sit out with no money on table
NEW YORK— The NHL and the players’ association met for a third straight day Sunday, and again avoided the troublesome money issues that are behind the lockout.
“We did not discuss core economic issues, as was the plan,” NHLPA special counsel Steve Fehr said after meeting for five hours with the NHL. “We discussed health and safety, drug testing, including more discussion of drug testing, medical care, etc. Also a number of things in the CBA legal area of player movements.”
The drug policy was a key component of talks Friday when the sides got together for the first time since the NHL imposed the lockout on Sept. 16. On Saturday, they focused on defining hockey-related revenue — a pot that exceeded $3 billion.
“It was a productive day. We made some progress in some areas,” Fehr said Sunday. “I would say it’s good that we were talking.” Because of difficulty in finding common ground on how to split up that money, the league and union instead concentrated all weekend on secondary issues that will also be included in any new agreement. “We need some movement on the system issues,” NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said. “We need them to be scheduled as the subject of a meeting, and right now the union is not prepared to do that.” Negotiations on Sunday were conducted at the league office without NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. They met privately Friday and Saturday. “I think that may demonstrate more than anything else the nature of the issues we’re talking about,” Daly said. “We’re really talking about kind of micro issues . . . they will be at the table when we’re talking about the issues that are really going to get this deal done.”
There was a thought that talks might continue Monday, but that doesn’t seem likely as the NHL wants to meet internally with clubs before getting back together. Tuesday is a possibility.
The entire pre-season slate of games was cancelled by the NHL on Thursday, and regular-season games — scheduled to begin Oct. 11 — could soon be called off, too.