NHL Lockout Claims Remainder Of Preseason Schedule
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- For unhappy hockey fans, the hits just keep on coming.
Already canceled through Sept. 30, the NHL announced on Thursday it has scrapped the remainder of the 2012 preseason schedule due to an ongoing labor dispute with the players' union.
NHL owners locked out players on Sept. 16 when the collective bargaining agreement expired. The regular season is scheduled to begin on Oct. 11.
The two sides have scheduled talks on Friday in New York, although they are on secondary economic issues as opposed to the core of the dispute, which is how to split more than $3 billion in annual revenue.
The NHL and the union last met for formal negotiations on Sept. 12, three days before the labor pact that ended the previous lockout — back in 2005 — ran out.
Now there is at least a glimmer of optimism as talks are expected to last through the weekend. If a deal isn't reached soon, regular-season games will be the next thing to be called off, and players will begin to miss paychecks.
In the most recent round of talks, both sides exchanged proposals on the core economic issues. The NHL made the last offer that day and said it has been waiting for the NHLPA to make a counteroffer.
"Obviously, we've got to talk before you can get a deal, so I think it's important to get the talks going again," NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said earlier this week. "But you also have to have something to say. I think it's fair to say we feel like we need to hear from the players' association in a meaningful way because I don't think that they've really moved off their initial proposal, which was made more than a month ago now."
As part of their decision to resume talks, the sides agreed to revisit the secondary issues that will have to be ironed out in the new CBA. Those include, but aren't limited to, grievance procedures, travel, medical care, and pensions and benefits.
"We are pleased the league is willing to come back to the bargaining table, and we look forward to Friday's discussions," NHLPA special counsel Steve Fehr said on Tuesday, when the negotiations were scheduled.
Do you expect to see any hockey at all this season? Be heard in the comments below...
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