Madferret
5-11-05, 12:34 PM
NHL labour talks continue Wednesday
Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) - NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and players' association executive director Bob Goodenow will hold labour negotiations Wednesday and Thursday instead of going to Austria for the world hockey championships. The change in plans occurred Tuesday after a 3 1/2-hour bargaining session in New York, the eighth official meeting between the sides since Bettman cancelled the entire hockey season on Feb. 16 because of the lockout.
After eight hours of meetings last week, and contentious comments made by both sides through the media about the other, the negotiating atmosphere seemed to be poor. But the principal negotiators decided to delay their European trips and remain in New York for further discussions. ''The union has agreed, at our request, to remain in New York to continue meeting in smaller groups over the next several days on a variety of sub-issues that need to be addressed in connection with a new CBA,'' Bill Daly, the league's executive vice-president and chief legal officer, said in a statement.
Daly, Bettman and outside counsel Bob Batterman were at Tuesday's meeting as well as New Jersey Devils CEO and GM Lou Lamoriello, board of governors chairman Harley Hotchkiss, Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs, Nashville Predators owner Craig Leipold, NHL director of hockey operations Colin Campbell, NHL general counsel David Zimmerman and lawyer Shep Goldfein.
Goodenow headed his side alongside senior director Ted Saskin, associate counsel Ian Pulver, outside counsel John McCambridge, director of business relations Mike Gartner and players Trevor Linden, Bill Guerin, Bob Boughner, Vincent Damphousse and Trent Klatt. Originally, the sides planned to talk on Monday and Tuesday in New York, but that was cut to just Tuesday after two days of discussions last week. They had already scheduled meetings for next Wednesday and Thursday, likely in Toronto.
Bettman, Daly, Goodenow and Saskin were to arrive in Austria on Wednesday. Many of the players taking part in the world championships are on NHL teams, and the United States and Canada qualified for the quarter-final games that will take place Thursday. The semifinals are Saturday and the gold and bronze medal games are scheduled for Sunday in Vienna. It was not immediately clear when, or if, Bettman and Goodenow would go to Austria.
The NHL made a new offer to the players last Thursday in Toronto, but no progress was reported by either side after talks ended Friday. The latest proposal was spawned by a union offer on April 4 that contained a hybrid concept that addressed the relationship between player salaries and league revenues. It contained an upper cap of $50 million and a floor of $30 million.
As before, the sides have not come close to an agreement on the values of the caps or how wide a range there should be between the minimums and maximums. When the sides met on April 19, the discussions ended with a heated exchange between Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs and players' association leadership. The tough talk continued this week when Daly and Saskin exchanged barbs.
Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) - NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and players' association executive director Bob Goodenow will hold labour negotiations Wednesday and Thursday instead of going to Austria for the world hockey championships. The change in plans occurred Tuesday after a 3 1/2-hour bargaining session in New York, the eighth official meeting between the sides since Bettman cancelled the entire hockey season on Feb. 16 because of the lockout.
After eight hours of meetings last week, and contentious comments made by both sides through the media about the other, the negotiating atmosphere seemed to be poor. But the principal negotiators decided to delay their European trips and remain in New York for further discussions. ''The union has agreed, at our request, to remain in New York to continue meeting in smaller groups over the next several days on a variety of sub-issues that need to be addressed in connection with a new CBA,'' Bill Daly, the league's executive vice-president and chief legal officer, said in a statement.
Daly, Bettman and outside counsel Bob Batterman were at Tuesday's meeting as well as New Jersey Devils CEO and GM Lou Lamoriello, board of governors chairman Harley Hotchkiss, Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs, Nashville Predators owner Craig Leipold, NHL director of hockey operations Colin Campbell, NHL general counsel David Zimmerman and lawyer Shep Goldfein.
Goodenow headed his side alongside senior director Ted Saskin, associate counsel Ian Pulver, outside counsel John McCambridge, director of business relations Mike Gartner and players Trevor Linden, Bill Guerin, Bob Boughner, Vincent Damphousse and Trent Klatt. Originally, the sides planned to talk on Monday and Tuesday in New York, but that was cut to just Tuesday after two days of discussions last week. They had already scheduled meetings for next Wednesday and Thursday, likely in Toronto.
Bettman, Daly, Goodenow and Saskin were to arrive in Austria on Wednesday. Many of the players taking part in the world championships are on NHL teams, and the United States and Canada qualified for the quarter-final games that will take place Thursday. The semifinals are Saturday and the gold and bronze medal games are scheduled for Sunday in Vienna. It was not immediately clear when, or if, Bettman and Goodenow would go to Austria.
The NHL made a new offer to the players last Thursday in Toronto, but no progress was reported by either side after talks ended Friday. The latest proposal was spawned by a union offer on April 4 that contained a hybrid concept that addressed the relationship between player salaries and league revenues. It contained an upper cap of $50 million and a floor of $30 million.
As before, the sides have not come close to an agreement on the values of the caps or how wide a range there should be between the minimums and maximums. When the sides met on April 19, the discussions ended with a heated exchange between Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs and players' association leadership. The tough talk continued this week when Daly and Saskin exchanged barbs.