NHL, players’ union avoid the spotlight as negotiations continue

NEW YORK, N.Y. – The NHL’s collective bargaining talks are heading underground once again.

Both the league and NHL Players’ Association have chosen to keep the exact location of their Tuesday afternoon bargaining session private.

That comes just days after deputy commissioner Bill Daly and NHLPA special counsel Steve Fehr held an informal meeting that spanned several hours in an undisclosed city.

The negotiations appear to have reached a critical juncture and the sides are hoping progress can be made away from the media spotlight.

When asked for a comment about the upcoming talks on Monday, Daly told The Canadian Press he had decided to remain quiet until the meetings were over.

It was unclear whether he or NHL commissioner Gary Bettman would meet the media to provide an update following Tuesday’s session.

The NHLPA has committed to having executive director Donald Fehr or his brother, Steve, speak afterwards.

The biggest issue the sides have to bridge a gap on is the mechanism that would see all existing contracts honoured in full, even after the players’ overall share in revenue is reduced to 50 per cent from its current position of 57 per cent. A “make whole” provision in the NHL’s Oct. 16 offer attempted to do that, but the NHLPA didn’t like that deferred payments would count against the earning potential of future players.

The league has since indicated a willingness to see owners assume more of the liability.

There are also contract issues to sort out. Among the changes suggested by the NHL are a five-year cap on all deals, entry-level contracts that last two years instead of three and unrestricted free agency beginning at age 28 or after eight years of service.

Donald Fehr has said he doesn’t believe players should have to give up any of the concessions they earned in those areas during the last round of negotiations.

The NHL lockout is into its 52nd day and has already prompted the league to cancel 327 regular-season games, including the Jan. 1 Winter Classic at Michigan Stadium.