League, Players Association Exchange Proposals to bring Lockout to an End -NHL Update
Sources close to ESPN have cited that the National Hockey League (NHL) and Players’ Association have exchanged multiple proposals following the eight-hour long meeting between players and franchise owners, which could possibly mean the end of the lockout in the upcoming days.
Previous proposals were made by both sides but rejected by the two at the exact moment, but it seems now, they will be more willing to compromise on certain issues as it is seems that the players and team owners have agreed on a number of issues.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and Executive Director of the NHLPA were not present in the meeting, but are going about daily business is negotiating and talking over a new labour deal.
"We are pleased with the process that is ongoing, and out of respect for that process, I don't have anything else to say," Bettman said.
Officially, nothing has been revealed up until now on what actually went on during the Tuesday night meeting, which lasted over eight hours, and has been one that raised hopes for everyone. As long as there is no bad news on the situation as of yet, fans are hoping that the revelations will be good in nature and commendable for a new collective bargaining agreement.
It has now been nearly three months since the lockout came into effect with the previous deal ending on September 15th. The two sides began negotiations earlier in June of this year but failed to come up with anything significant, signalling the need to bring the real stakeholders of the scenario face-to-face, in a more candid encounter instead of speaking through representatives.
The entire preseason, a major chunk of the 2012-2013 regular season, the 2013 NHL Winter Classic and All-Star Game faced the axe recently and hopefully, the remaining games to be played after the December 14th cut date could continue if a deal is reached soon enough.
Hopes are high and fans are yearning for a season to finally get started and still see what remains of the regular season. Updates should be expected in the next 24 or so hours.
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