With Strike Looming, Kings Tie Edmonton : Hockey: Job action scheduled to begin today after talks between NHL management, players prove fruitless.

Now what?

In the shadow of an impending strike that threatens to darken arenas for NHL games indefinitely, the Kings and Edmonton Oilers skated to a 2-2 tie Sunday night before a sellout Northlands Coliseum crowd of 17,503.

That left the Kings clinging to second place in the Smythe Division by two points over the Oilers.

But players from both clubs wondered if this was a playoff preview or a season finale.

Barring a breakthrough in the negotiations, the NHL Players Assn. is scheduled to call a strike at 9 a.m., PST, today.

The owners and NHLPA have negotiated for 60 hours over a five-day period in Toronto to try and prevent the first walkout in the league’s 75-year history.

The last session stretched over 22 hours, ending with a 5 a.m. news conference Sunday morningin Toronto by NHL president John Ziegler.

“We came very close, but we couldn’t close the gap,” an exhausted Ziegler told reporters.

“As I look at the issues, I feel we are fairly close on the essential issues that the players care about. That’s my opinion. Their lawyers might think otherwise.”

The two sides have been on opposite sides of the table since the collective bargaining agreement expired Sept. 15. At issue is free agency, the arbitration process, merchandising rights, the size of the draft, postseason pay and the pension plan.

But the biggest issue is money.

The owners insist they will lose $9 million this season, and say they cannot and will not share any more revenue with the players after raising salaries 53% over the last two seasons.

The players say the owners will make $24 million this year.

“It doesn’t make any sense for the owners to lie about the numbers,” said William Wirtz of the Chicago Blackhawks, the chairman of the board of governors. “These are very serious economic issues.”

The owners made a proposal Saturday night. The players made a counterproposal.

But after Ziegler met with the league’s Board of Governors in Chicago Sunday for seven hours, he said the owners would not budge from their Saturday proposal calling it, “their final offer.”

That news did nothing to soften the stance of NHLPA executive director Bob Goodenow.

“I am at a loss as to why this proposal was rejected,” said Goodenow from Toronto, referring to his own final offer.

“It is hard for some of the players on the (negotiating) committee to believe that some of the members on the owners committee really want to, in fact, reach an agreement.”

As of Sunday night, Ziegler was still holding out hope Goodenow would change his mind and pick up the phone.

“If he wants to call tonight or tomorrow morning,” Ziegler said, “I will be available. We can settle this on the telephone because the negotiating committee has that authority. If there is something to be done, we can do it.”

The strike, if it comes, will leave one week in the regular season unplayed. There are no games scheduled tonight, but five are scheduled for Tuesday.

The Kings get a break in the event of a short strike. They are not scheduled to play their final two regular-season games until next weekend.

But beyond that is the question of the playoffs, scheduled to begin April 8. Just how long a strike could the league endure before being forced to scrub the season?

“There comes a time,” Ziegler said, “when we’ve run out of time, just because of building availability. The calender is slipping by.”

The Kings are in a unique situation because they have few, if any, complaints about owner Bruce McNall, who has the highest payroll in the league at $13.5 million.

McNall provides a $5-million jet to transport the team.

“Bruce is in a tough situation,” Wayne Gretzky said. “The way he treats us, the way he runs the organization, it’s tough.

“But the reality is, there are six or seven guys on this team who may not be here next year. That’s what the association is all about.”

With a $3-million salary, Gretzky is not striking for himself.

“Eric Davis in baseball said it best,” Gretzky told reporters. “He said Dave Parker went on strike for him, and he had to strike for the young guys coming up.

“I have the most to lose. I don’t want to strike. But if that’s what the association votes, I have to think of the younger guys.”

While the Kings were uncertain about the future Sunday night, they were happy about the immediate past.

They broke five-game road losing streak by playing with an inspired effort in a game they had to win to stay ahead of the charging Oilers.

The tie left the Kings at 34-30-14 with two games to play. Edmonton is 35-32-10 with three to play.

The Kings got goals from Tony Granato (his 39th) and Jay Miller (fourth).

The Oilers countered with goals from Martin Gelinas (his 10th) and Joe Murphy (32nd).

But this game belonged to goaltenders Kelly Hrudey of the Kings and Bill Ranford of the Oilers. Both made key save after key save.

When it was over, Coach Tom Webster, who had decided to keep the team in town overnight for an additional practice this morning, canceled that practice.

“They got the message,” he said.

Since the strike is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Edmonton time, and the Kings are not scheduled to leave until 10:30, there had been some question as to whether the players would be allowed on their own plane if they were on strike.

Or if, perhaps, they might be charged for the ride home.

“We have no fear of that,” said defenseman Marty McSorley, the Kings’ player representative. “Bruce has never done anything like that. He’s a good man.”

King General Manager Rogie Vachon said late Sunday the players would be brought home free of charge, strike or no strike.

Home to stay or home to play?

Today should finally produce the answer.