Optimism was short-lived around the NHL's collective bargaining talks.
A flickering sense of hope was quickly replaced by frustration on Thursday after the NHL Players' Association tabled three counter-proposals and had them summarily dismissed by the league.
With time dwindling for the sides to strike a deal that would save an 82-game season, the status of negotiations was left up in the air. Commissioner Gary Bettman described the session as "thoroughly disappointing" and promptly boarded a flight back to New York along with deputy commissioner Bill Daly.
They had been hoping for progress after the league offered a 50-50 split of revenues on Tuesday as part of a deal that could see a full season start on Nov. 2.
"None of the three variations of player share that they gave us even began to approach [a[ 50-50 [revenue split], either at all or for some long period of time," Bettman said. "It's clear we're not speaking the same language."
NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr disagreed, saying two of the proposals would see the players take a fixed amount of revenue, which would turn into an approximate 50-50 split over a five-year term of the deal provided league revenues continued to grow.
The third approach would be a 50-50 split, as long as the league honoured all existing contracts at full value - a claim Daly later refuted in a press release. "It is not a 50-50 deal," he said.
The NHLPA produced another show of force along with its latest offers, with star players Sidney Crosby, Jarome Iginla, Jonathan Toews and Eric Staal among the 18 union members in attendance. Like the leaders of the two sides, the players did not seem optimistic after the afternoon meeting.
"You come with three proposals thinking you've got a chance to get a little momentum and get some progress and it's shut down within 10 minutes," said Crosby. "That doesn't seem like a group that's willing to negotiate."
"This is not a good day," said Fehr. "It should have been, but it's not."
