NHL Talks Show Signs of Thaw

The course of hockey’s 4-month-old labor dispute took a turn to “cautious optimism” after a five-hour meeting Wednesday in Chicago, with a second meeting scheduled today in Toronto.

A source familiar with Wednesday’s talks between representatives of NHL management and the NHL Players’ Assn. said there had been enough common ground to extend talks. That source also said, however, that major issues would have to be resolved by next week to prevent the cancellation of the season.

“We engaged in good dialogue today and will continue our discussions in the near future,” said Vancouver’s Trevor Linden, the players’ union president, who had suggested the meeting. “We will not make any further comment at this time.”

Bill Daly, the NHL’s executive vice president and chief legal officer, said, “We appreciate the initiative Trevor Linden took in arranging this meeting. The parties had a good, candid dialogue, and we intend to talk again. Out of respect for the process, we have no further comment at this time.”

It is unlikely that an agreement will be reached today, the 10th anniversary of when the 1994-95 season began after a 103-day lockout, but there is time for enough issues to be aired to lead to more negotiations, and perhaps a 40-game season.

The NHL has insisted on a link between revenue and player costs. The union has called that a salary cap, which it opposes. The NHL has rejected union proposals that were built upon a luxury tax. Owners are also pushing for a lengthy deal, trying to avoid a repeat of the dispute that had wiped out 662 games through Wednesday.

But Wednesday’s talks, the first since Dec. 14, when each side rejected the other’s proposals, may have produced a small thaw.

Neither NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman nor union Executive Director Bob Goodenow attended the meeting, which took place in an O’Hare International Airport lounge. Instead, three-on-three talks were set up, with hopes that fewer people would lead to more talking. Linden, Ted Saskin, the union’s senior director, and outside counsel John McCambridge represented the union. Daly, NHL board of governors Chairman Harley Hotchkiss and outside counsel Bob Batterman represented the league.

“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,” said Hotchkiss, who is also part-owner of the Calgary Flames.

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LOCKOUT GLANCE

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Days of lockout: 126.

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Days of season missed: 99.

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Total games missed: 662 regular-season games plus the 2005 All-Star game.