Dallas Mayor Hopeful As NHL Labor Talks Resume
NEW YORK (AP/CBSDFW) - NHL labor talks are set to resume after more than two weeks off and a whole lot of canceled games.
For the first time since Oct. 18, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly and players' association special counsel Steve Fehr agreed to return to the bargaining table at a secret location Saturday afternoon.
The two have been talking by phone during the week and found enough common ground to meet face to face.
The lockout reached its 49th day Saturday, but at least there's a glimmer of optimism that the season can be saved.
There have already been 327 games canceled -- including the New Year's Day Winter Classic that was wiped out Friday -- and the NHL has said it will be impossible to play a full season.
The lockout, and fear their won't be an NHL season, is having an affect on the economic health of downtown Dallas.
One hockey fan who is growing tired of the delay is Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings, who says many people depend on Stars games for their livelihood.
KRLD's L.P. Phillips Reports:
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Rawlings says each night the Dallas Stars aren't playing is equal to 20,000 people who aren't spending money in Dallas' downtown business district.
But aside from missing the Stars games, the mayor knows there are many workers who are missing a paycheck because their jobs depend on those games.
Rawlings says the impact on the downtown area because of the NHL lockout seems to be similar to last year's NBA labor standoff, and that is putting a chunk of Dallas' economy on ice.
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