Bettman Invites New Talks

A day of answering hot-button lockout questions and mapping out strategies had executives from the NHL and the NHL Players’ Assn. busy in separate meetings Tuesday.

Commissioner Gary Bettman addressed team owners, presidents and general managers in New York for five hours, explaining the situation and presenting potential alternatives. They included the possibility of declaring a labor impasse and unilaterally imposing an economic system, then using replacement players and any union members willing to cross the line.

Such a move probably would result in a legal challenge from the NHLPA.

The union leaders met with players in Toronto and answered questions about agreeing to a salary cap two weeks ago and about players who made direct contact with the NHL after Bettman had canceled the season on Feb. 16. NHLPA executives will meet with player agents today.

Bettman said the league would invite the union to resume talks, possibly this week.

“It’s all up in the air right now,” said Colorado player Ian Laperriere, who attended the union’s meeting. “Both sides are regrouping, but the sooner the better, that’s how we feel.”

But there may be a greater need on the league’s part to resume negotiations. Team executives fear irreparable financial damage and want to mend fences with fans. Teams normally push season-ticket renewals and try to attract sponsors each spring. Having a deal in place by June would also save the entry draft.

“My sense is, talks will start soon,” said King General Manager Dave Taylor, who attended management’s meeting. “We discussed what some options might be, moving forward.”

That could mean replacement players. Bettman said in a television interview last week that using replacement players was “obviously an option.” He added, though, “I’m not prepared to suggest that’s the route we’re going to go at this time.”

Taylor said, “We discussed all options out there. But we didn’t focus on any one option, except that getting a deal done was option No. 1.”

The union emerged from its three-hour meeting in verbal lock step. Vancouver’s Trevor Linden, the NHLPA’s president, told reporters that both sides needed to take “a little time to reassess.”

Bob Goodenow, the NHLPA’s executive director, claimed a united front following the meeting. St. Louis defenseman Chris Pronger, meanwhile, denied the existence of a splinter group. Others at the meeting said that both the salary cap and the splinter group were hot topics of conversation.

“There were many questions about both,” Laperriere said.

As for the splinter group, Laperriere said, “Going behind the [union’s executive] committee to talk to the league, at the end day I don’t think they meant to do any harm. They wanted the lockout to be resolved. That’s not the way it works. They made mistakes and learned from that.”