NHL Awaits Strike Vote by Players : Negotiations: Balloting will decide if league shutdown is to begin today.

With another strike deadline staring them in the face, John Ziegler, president of the NHL, and Bob Goodenow, executive director of the NHL Players Assn., held a last face-to-face meeting Tuesday night in Toronto.

If the players reject the owners’ latest proposal, as has been recommended by the players’ negotiating committee, the first strike in NHL history will begin at noon PST today.

While any communication between the two sides has to be considered a step toward averting a walkout, Goodenow wasn’t very optimistic before Tuesday’s meeting with Ziegler.

“Our authority to close a deal is somewhat limited,” he said. “It (the strike) has been postponed once. I don’t know if it can be postponed tomorrow (Wednesday).”

Even management held out little hope for a settlement. “I have no reason to think it won’t be (a long strike),” said Mike Keenan, coach and general manager of the Chicago Blackhawks. “There’s no experience in this ever before, and I don’t see the sides being able to reach an attainable level of negotiations at this time.

“This is it. The season just ended.”

The strike had been set for Monday morning, but was delayed 51 hours to allow players to vote on the final decision.

In a scene repeated all across North America, teams met late Tuesday and early Wednesday, either at arenas or homes. They went over a written presentation of the owners’ proposal, then viewed a video from Goodenow that further explained the pros and cons.

Mostly, it was cons. Goodenow has made it clear he doesn’t feel the proposal is satisfactory.

After discussing the issues, players will cast a secret ballot. A simple majority of the league’s approximately 500 players will decide whether to strike.

That seems a foregone conclusion, considering Goodenow’s position.

“We’re not just sheep following our leader,” King defenseman Larry Robinson said. “But you have to stay united. Otherwise, what’s the use of having a union? If we are not going to stick together, we might as well disband.”

As the time grows short, the key issues loom large. Money from hockey trading cards, once considered a minor stumbling block in the talks, appears to have grown into a major obstacle.

According to Goodenow, the owners want a larger share of the $16 million generated from the sale of those cards. Players currently receive 68% of that money, or $11 million.

“The owners have proposed that the position of the players and owners concerning the right to trading card royalties stay exactly as it is,” Ziegler countered in a written statement Monday, “with immediate negotiations to start for a new player-owner licensing partnership.”

There is another difference. Ziegler wants a one-year deal to replace the collective bargaining agreement that expired Sept. 15. That would only get the league through the playoffs, which are scheduled to begin April 8. Goodenow wants a three-year pact.

The Kings are to report to their Culver City practice rink today.

“If we come on down here,” Robinson said, “and the padlocks are on the door, we’ll know the strike is on.”