marvellbrando: NHL-Lockout looms as talks between NHL and players' union stall

Sunday, 2 September 2012

Aug 31 (Reuters) - Labor talks between the National Hockey

League (NHL) and union representing its players broke off on

Friday with both sides at odds on the core economic issues,

raising the possibility of a lockout in two weeks.

With the NHL having already said it is prepared to lock out

players if a new deal is not reached by the time the current one

expires on Sept. 15, the league could be headed toward its first

work stoppage since a lockout wiped out the 2004-05 season.

"What I thought was starting as a promising week ... ends in

disappointment," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman told reporters

after meeting with the union for the third time in four days.

"We did not get a proposal from the union, call it more of a

response. ... We both agreed when one of us has something to

say, we will pick up the phone."

On Tuesday, the league offered a six-year contract that it

felt included significant concessions from the initial proposal

it presented in July that included new contract restrictions and

would have reduced the players' share of revenue to 43 percent.

The NHL's latest proposal wants to cut the players' share of

hockey-related revenue to 46 percent from 57 percent despite

enjoying record-breaking revenue of $3.3. billion last season

along with an increase in television ratings.

The NHL Players' Association (NHLPA) presented its latest

counterproposal on Friday at a meeting in New York and Executive

Director Don Fehr said the offer did not bear fruit and so talks

were recessed.

"We will not be discussing these issues again until there's

an indication from the NHL that they are prepared to do so,"

Fehr said after Friday's meeting, which lasted less than two

hours. "And hopefully that will come soon."

The NHL's 82-game regular season is scheduled to open on

Oct. 11.

(Reporting by Gene Cherry in Raleigh, North Carolina; Editing

by Frank Pingue)

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