League nears decision day for season

NEW YORK -- With just a little bit of hedging, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman all but issued a drop-dead date for saving what's left of the season: this weekend.

The lockout reached its 147th day Wednesday. If a deal is reached, Bettman said, there would be a 28-game regular season and the 16-team playoff structure would be preserved.

"It is clear to me that if we're not working on a written document by this weekend, I don't see how we can play any semblance of a season," Bettman said. "Obviously, we will listen to everything the union has to say, but we've given all we can give and gone as far as we can go."

Hours earlier, the players' association rejected what was described as a compromise proposal during a secret meeting in Toronto, NHL chief legal officer Bill Daly said.

Union head Bob Goodenow said the sides would meet again. The union asked Bettman and Daly to stay in Toronto through today for negotiating sessions.

"The prospect that we'd be able to conclude an agreement by the end of the weekend is very daunting," Goodenow said. "It is possible, but I don't want to discuss the levels of probability."

The lockout has wiped out 813 of the 1,230 regular-season games, as well as this weekend's scheduled All-Star game.