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NHLPA unimpressed with NHL after owners contacted players

NHLPA Member Meeting

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 13: Steve Fehr of the NHLPA attends the press conference at Marriott Marquis Times Square on September 13, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Bruce Bennett

NHLPA special counsel Steve Fehr thinks it a bit odd that owners and general managers were allowed a 48-hour window to speak to players, and that the window just happened to open last week after the NHL tabled its optimism-inducing 50-50 offer.

“Most owners are not allowed to attend bargaining meetings,” Fehr said in a statement. “No owners are allowed to speak to the media about the bargaining. Interesting that they are secretly unleashed to talk to the players about the meetings the players can attend but the owners cannot.”

In reality, it’s not “interesting,” and Fehr knows it. It’s fairly obvious the owners and GMs were permitted to speak to players in hopes of convincing the players that the NHL’s offer was a good one.

“Propaganda” is what one player called it, as per TVA Sports.

But whether the league did anything wrong depends how you look at it. Some may call the move underhanded; others just an attempt to get a deal done.

Regardless, there’s still no word when the league and players will meet again, and with the league saying a deal needs to be struck by Thursday in order to allow an 82-game season, it’s an understatement to call time a factor.