No Deal: NHL Cancels 82 Regular Season Games Through October 24
The National Hockey League has announced that it has cancelled 82 regular-season games through October 24.
According to the NHL, the cancellation was necessary because of the absence of a Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NHL Players' Association and the NHL.
The NHL locked out the players on Sept. 16, following the expiration of the previous CBA. Opening night for the 2012-13 regular season was scheduled for Oct. 11.
According to the National Hockey League Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly the nearly two-hour negotiating session between the NHL and the National Hockey League Players' Association on Tuesday "wasn't overly encouraging."
"I think it goes back to us really tackling the main issues that are at issue in this negotiation and seeing if we have some traction toward some middle ground," Daly said. "We're looking for a long-term deal that's fair for the players, fair for the teams and good for the fans. That's what we want out of this negotiation and we need a negotiating partner to get there."
According to Daly, all parties involved have already lost $100 million after the cancellation of all preseason games.
Daly said no further negotiating meetings are scheduled.
According to the league, Tuesday's meeting was to continue to figure out "how to reach a level of certainty on the interpretation of hockey-related revenue (HRR) definitions."
Daly said the League has a federal mediator in Washington that would be willing to step in, but he doesn't believe the negotiations have reached that stage because the sides have been communicating regularly.