Players, Team Owners Set to Go Face-to-Face in Tuesday Meeting -NHL Lockout Update
Ice hockey is in a real mess at the moment in North America, the National Hockey League (NHL) to be more specific. In an last resort attempt to get the 2012-2013 regular season back in play, the league and Players’ Association has decided on something unique and creative. Getting the real stakeholders involved, face-to-face.
Tuesday is set to be the day when players and team owners of franchises around the NHL will get together in one room, without their mediators in the form of NHL Commissioner, Gary Bettman, and NHLPA executive director, Donald Fehr. It will be the players and owners going one-on-one and expectations are definitely high in this regard.
"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."
Boston Bruins owner, Jeremy Jacobs, Ronald Burkle of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Mark Chipman from the Winnipeg Jets, Jeffrey Vinik of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Larry Tanenbaum of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Murray Edwards from the Calgary Flames, are the owners who have been confirmed to be taking part of the meeting in New York City on Tuesday.
The league and Players’ Association will not be entirely out of the meeting as a staff member from each side will be present. Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly is said to be heading the league’s representation, while Steve Fehr has been cited as the most likely candidate from the labour union’s side.
A number of players, including Sidney Crosby, are reported to be taking part in the meeting, but no official list in that regard has been sent out as of yet.
"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."
It will definitely be exciting to see how the two sides discuss the situation in the next 24 hours.
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