The next step in NHL and NHLPA negotiations is set to take place on Tuesday afternoon as six owners and a small group of players will meet in New York City in an attempt to continue talks towards reaching a new collective bargaining agreement.
The owners that will take part in the meeting are Jeremy Jacobs of the Boston Bruins, Ronald Burkle of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Mark Chipman of the Winnipeg Jets, Jeffery Vinik of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Murray Edwards of the Calgary Flames and Larry Tanenbaum of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The NHLPA requested that a staff member from each side be present for the meeting. NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly will attend the meeting while the NHLPA has yet to identify which staff member they will have in the room.
Commissioner Gary Bettman and NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr will not be involved.
"There will be owners attending this meeting who have not previously done so, which is encouraging and which we welcome," Fehr said in a statement. "We hope that this meeting will be constructive and lead to a dialogue that will help us find a way to reach an agreement."
The names of the players that will represent the NHLPA are not yet known.
"I think it's a good thing that there will be some new voices and perspectives," Penguins captain Sidney Crosby told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "At this point I don't think it can hurt."
Following the breakdown of talks between the two sides that involved federal mediators, Bettman proposed on Thursday that the leadership from both sides step aside for the next bargaining session, leaving a group of owners and players to try and break the stalemate.
The NHLPA asked to have the same mediators involved in Tuesday's meeting but the NHL rejected the offer.
