No End in Sight as NHL Lockout Enters Second Month

Negotiators for the NHL and its players’ union skated in circles again Monday, reporting no progress toward ending a dispute that today begins its second month.

The league is expected soon to announce the cancellation of 14 games--one-sixth of the season--from each club’s schedule. It has so far canceled only four games, delaying the necessity for most clubs to issue ticket refunds. Through Monday, 168 games had been missed because of the stoppage, the longest in NHL history.

Monday’s five-hour session in Washington was the first in a week. Bob Goodenow, executive director of the NHL Players Assn., detailed his objections to accounting techniques used when NHL owners also own the arena or the television network that shows their games.

He told the Canadian Press, “If the NHL is going to make statements about its general financial health and that of its member clubs, it must make an accurate statement of all revenues related to the club and all affiliated entities.”

Frustrated by their inactivity, players continued to find ways to play. Toronto’s Mats Sundin joined his old Swedish team, Djurgarden; King forward Robert Lang joined Litvinov in the Czech Republic, and a group of Russian NHL players organized a five-game charity tour of their homeland, to begin Friday in Moscow. The team will include products of the old Soviet “Red Machine” such as Igor Larionov and Sergei Makarov, now of the San Jose Sharks, as well as youngsters Pavel Bure of the Vancouver Canucks, Detroit center Sergei Fedorov and Buffalo right wing Alexander Mogilny.

Meanwhile, President Tony Tavares of the Mighty Ducks criticized the NHL’s laxity in notifying players that it had stopped paying medical insurance premiums Oct. 15. Defenseman Tom Kurvers was initially told his insurance had been terminated when he sought emergency treatment for his pregnant wife last Thursday. Tavares complained to the league about the slow notification process, even though players effectively remained covered.