League, Players' Association planning meeting between Players, Team Owners -NHL Update
After the latest stalemate in labour deal negotiations between the National Hockey League (NHL) and Players’ Association, both stakeholders are planning now on getting a face-to-face meeting between players and team owners, which may allow them sort things out for the better.
Federal mediators came into the scene recently to sort out the mess that has affected the league in a major way by locking out the entire preseason, a major chunk of the 2012-2013 regular season, NHL Winter Classic and All-Star Game as well, but it did not make a difference.
The two sides were not happy at all with the outcome and decision of the mediation services, forcing them to plan a meeting between players and six NHL team owners, which is reported to be held sometime this week, most likely on Tuesday.
"We have confirmed with the Union that we will attempt to schedule a players/owners-only meeting for some time on Tuesday afternoon in New York," NHL Deputy Commissioner, Bill Daly, said in the statement. "No further details have been confirmed at this point."
In order to allow them to discuss open heartedly and in a more candid position than ever before, NHL Commissioner, Gary Bettman, and NHLPA executive director, Donald Fehr, will not be present on the occasion.
"The NHLPA has agreed to a meeting on Tuesday in New York that should facilitate dialogue between players and owners," Fehr said in a statement. "Neither the Commissioner nor I will be present, although each side will have a limited number of staff or counsel present.”
Both stakeholders are hoping that this new and unorthodox step would encourage the two sides to work something out for the better and allow the deadlock to come to an end. The players who will be taking part in the meeting on Tuesday, as of yet, have not been named, but have been reported by insiders to still being in the finalizing stage.
Updates should be expected in the next couple of days after the meeting takes place to bring the NHL lockout to an end, hopefully which may even be as soon as this week.
Tags: