Federal Mediators to Take Part in Wednesday Meeting between League, Players' Association -NHL Update
It looks like third party mediators will have to come back into the scene in order to help the National Hockey League (NHL) and Players’ Association reach a deal, nearly a week after talks collapsed and all hopes and dreams of a season getting back on died
out.
Sources are citing this as certainly serious on their end as this seems to be the last resort move for both sides, who have run out of ideas on how to bring the lengthy lockout to an end without having to take matters to the court of law.
The federal mediators from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services will be taking part in negotiations for the second time now in less than a month as the first time had the two stakeholders too far apart. It will be interesting now to see how their
presence and handling of the situation will allow the league and labour union to get something done.
Players on the other hand are not too excited about the mediators getting back involved as they do not see much change in the scenario and any difference in circumstances from what they were before.
But NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly has a different view on it and is hopeful that this might actually allow for something significant to come out of it all.
"Different circumstances this week than last," Daly told ESPNNewYork.com via email. "I'm not sure it can help, but I guess we will find out."
Last Tuesday brought team owners and players closer than ever before as they sat in one room, not only face-to-face but without any representation involved and discussed matters in a more candid meeting than before. It all went down when the league and Players’
Association had to follow up but rejected each other’s proposals, shocking the entire hockey community as to how fast the optimism rose and how it died out even faster.
It will be interesting to see how things turn out in the next day or two as both sides meet with the federal mediators to get these issues sorted out.
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