(CP) - There's still much work to be done but a feeling of cautious optimism emerged from a week full of NHL labour talks in New York, including 22 hours in the last two days.
The league and the NHL Players' Association met for eight hours in New York on Friday, a day after sitting in a boardroom for 14 hours and word from within is that perhaps there's finally light at the end of the tunnel - albeit with the knowledge that there are weeks worth of work still ahead.
''We had two long days of meetings in which the parties discussed and made progress on some of the key issues pertaining to a new economic system,'' Bill Daly, the NHL's chief legal officer and executive vice-president, said in a release. ''While we have not yet been able to reach agreement on those issues, we remain committed to continuing the process in earnest until a new collective bargaining agreement can be achieved.''
They'll take the weekend off before NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and NHLPA executive director Bob Goodenow decide when talks will resume next week. They weren't even supposed to talk Friday but the two leaders met in the morning and decided to bring the two groups back to the table for yet another session in New York.
The two sides resumed talks at 10 a.m. EDT Friday and wrapped up around 6 p.m. EDT.
Before anyone gets too excited about the latest developments, there's still plenty that needs to be done. But for the first time since the lockout began last September, it isn't premature to believe that a collective bargaining agreement could be reached within the next two months.
''While we made progress in some areas there remain many issues to be addressed,'' NHLPA senior director Ted Saskin said in a statement. ''Since so many of the systemic and economic issues are interrelated, it is clear that much work remains to be done.''
The two sides hope to meet every week from here on in until a deal is finally agreed upon.
After two days of small group meetings Tuesday and Wednesday examining the financial practices of teams around the league, a larger group got together Thursday to examine the findings. The two sides hope to agree on what constitutes revenue in order to flesh out the union's April 4 offer. That system featured an upper and lower limit on team-by-team payrolls - a salary cap - which fluctuates year to year depending on revenues.
Representing the league Thursday and again on Friday was Bettman, Daly, director of hockey operations Colin Campbell, NHL general counsel David Zimmerman, board of governors chairman Harley Hotchkiss of the Calgary Flames, New Jersey Devils CEO and GM Lou Lamoriello, Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs, Nashville Predators owner Craig Leipold, outside counsel Bob Batterman and lawyer Shep Goldfein.
The NHLPA roster included Goodenow, Saskin, associate counsel Ian Pulver, director of business relations Mike Gartner, outside counsel McCambridge, Detroit Red Wings veteran player Brendan Shanahan, and the players' executive committee: president Trevor Linden and vice-presidents Vincent Damphousse, Bill Guerin, Daniel Alfredsson, Arturs Irbe, Trent Klatt and Bob Boughner.