Players, owners return to negotiating process

The bid to jump-start NHL labor negotiations has done just that, spawning a second round of talks in an effort to save the hockey season.

Union president Trevor Linden and NHL board of directors chairman Harley Hotchkiss spoke Wednesday at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, and the sides were planning to meet again today in Toronto.

The session lasted about five hours, including several breaks so each three-man negotiating group could huddle. It was just the third time the league and its players have had face-to-face talks in the four months since the lockout was imposed Sept. 15.

"We engaged in good dialogue today and will continue our discussions in the near future," Linden said. "We will not make any further comment at this time."

More than half of the regular season -- 662 of 1,230 games through Wednesday -- has been wiped out so far, plus the All-Star game.

If Wednesday's meeting does represent a key step forward, it might be worth noting who was not present: NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and union chief Bob Goodenow. They also were expected to sit out today.

At this point, it doesn't appear that either side is prepared to break the ice and put forth a new proposal.

Linden reached out to the owners and invited Hotchkiss to talk. The Vancouver Canucks center hoped that by holding general discussions without the two leaders, some of the acrimony could be removed from the negotiating process.

"We credit Trevor Linden's initiative in requesting this session, which was informal, open and professional and which resulted in a constructive exchange of viewpoints," Hotchkiss said.

NHL chief legal officer Bill Daly joined Hotchkiss, who is a part owner of the Calgary Flames, and outside counsel Bob Batterman in representing the NHL; Linden, NHLPA senior director Ted Saskin, and outside counsel John McCambridge were there for the players.

"The parties had a good, candid dialogue, and we intend to talk again," Daly said. "Out of respect for the process, we have no further comment at this time."

The participants are expected to be the same on Thursday, except for Hotchkiss who will be attending the funeral of J.R. (Bud) McCaig, another member of the Flames' ownership group who died last week. Saskin will take part in the meeting, despite the death of his mother on Wednesday.

These were the first talks since Dec. 14. That was when the sides broke three months of silence by sitting down for the second time in six days, but any optimism was lost quickly.

The players presented a proposal that offered an immediate 24 percent rollback on all existing contracts, but owners rejected the plan, saying it didn't provide cost certainty.

The NHL presented a counterproposal, which was turned down as soon as the players' association saw that the offer included a salary cap.

Since then, other than rhetoric, there had been silence.

If the next round of talks doesn't move the sides to a settlement, the season probably would be lost. That would mean the Stanley Cup wouldn't be awarded for the first time since 1919, when a flu epidemic canceled the final series between Seattle and Montreal.

No major North American sports league has missed an entire season because of a labor dispute.