Bettman to hold Wednesday news conference;
no progress in latest talks
Monday, February 14, 2005
The much anticipated Gary Bettman news conference where he is
expected to cancel the NHL season is set for Wednesday at 1 p.m. EST (Noon CST).
The news conference was originally planned for Tuesday, but was pushed back a
day after unexpected talks began between the lead negotiators for the league and
NHLPA.
The NHL's Bill Daly and NHLPA's Ted
Saskin met for several hours at an undisclosed location Monday, but Daly told
TSN in Canada that no progress had been made in the collective bargaining
progress. It wasn't clear late Monday if more talks would be held Tuesday.
It was unclear if those talks would have any bearing on
Bettman's planned announcement for Wednesday. The Associated Press reported
Monday night the NHL commissioner was still planning on canceling the rest of
the 2004-05 regular season and playoffs despite the recentl talks.
Even so, there was a still glimmer of hope among some that
the two sides could work out a deal before Bettman
addresses the media and fans Wednesday afternoon from New York.
"I've said all along, until someone tells me it's over, it's
not,'' New Jersey Devils GM Lou Lamoriello told the Canadian Press Monday. "It's
too easy to be negative. There's no question we have something scheduled at this
point for Wednesday. It's looking very bleak right now but it's not over."
Monday's meeting between Daly and Saskin
followed a five-hour session in Washington D.C. with officials from the U.S.
Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. That meeting provided no progress in
the negotiations.
If the cancellation announcement comes,
the NHL will become the first North American professional sports league to
cancel a season from start to finish due to a labor dispute.
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