Talks remain stalled despite efforts of federal mediators

NEW YORK — Two days of talks between the NHL, the players’ association, and federal mediators still haven’t provided any answers how to end the lockout.

Representatives from the fighting sides made it into the same room with a federal mediator Thursday. They just didn’t make any noticeable progress. After a failed day Wednesday when the parties on either end of the hockey labor dispute never met with each other, lawyers from each group spoke face to face Thursday.

They appear no closer to a deal to save the season.

Players’ association special counsel Steve Fehr, who met with league lead counsel Bob Batterman on Thursday, said the sides intend to talk Friday either in person or by phone.

“I expect the mediators will continue to be involved,” Fehr wrote in an email to The Associated Press. “Do not want to characterize the discussion today.”

At no point on either day this week did union executive director Donald Fehr meet with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly.

Daly said he expected to talk to Steve Fehr on Friday.

“I’m not sure what the next steps will be,” Daly told the AP in an email. “I do expect the mediators to stay involved in terms of monitoring our ongoing negotiations, but at this point there are no further sessions planned. It doesn’t appear there was movement by either side on any of the main issues over the last two days.”

Mediators talked to each group separately Wednesday in suburban New Jersey and carried messages back and forth.

The league and union hadn’t met since talks fell apart a week ago on the third straight day of negotiations in New York. Mediators rejoined the conversation Wednesday following two failed days last month, but still couldn’t achieve a breakthrough.

All games through Dec. 30 have been canceled, 43 percent of the season, along with the New Year’s Day Winter Classic and the All-Star game.