Detroit Red Wings looking forward to Player-Owners meetings to bear fruit -NHL Lockout Update
While the details of the players and team owners meeting are yet to be announced officially, players from the Detroit Red Wings side are hoping that talks between the real stakeholders will bear fruit in the end.
It would be unrealistic to expect a major breakthrough in talks just after the first meeting, which is reported to have lasted over five hours between owners of six teams and a number players, but there are still hopes of something coming out.
Some of the Detroit Red Wings have wanted a meeting between the players and team owners since the start in order to clear any confusion the two sides may have, and finally, that time has come for them. Taking to freep.com, players expressed their views on what they think about the entire situation.
"I've got to think for sure most of the owners want to play by now," Red Wings’ Ian White said. "What they need is an overwhelming majority to get going, because there's obviously a deal to be made if you look at the last offers. Hopefully, it gets done here in the next week, because if not, then we could be in dire straits."
There are still many issues that need to be cleared, players share in team revenue in particular. Owners from the Winnipeg Jets, Pittsburgh Penguins, Tampa Bay Lightning, Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins sides were in attendance.
Having already missed out on the entire preseason, major chunk of the regular season, 2013 NHL Winter Classic and All-Star Game along with four paychecks, which has disheartened the situation even further.
"Time is definitely not on our side, for both sides," goaltender Jimmy Howard said. "I think a lot of us knew that this was going to drag out a little bit, but I don't think any of us believed that we'd be almost at Christmas with nothing in place."
Hundreds and millions of dollars are currently at stake with the lockout still in play and if the entire season is cancelled, there is no telling what may happen in the upcoming weeks.
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