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Report: NHL memo Wednesday underscored importance of today’s meeting

Gary Bettman

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman faces journalists following collective bargaining talks in Toronto, Thursday, Oct. 18, 2012. Bettman received three counterproposals from the players’ association on Thursday and left the negotiating table “thoroughly disappointed,” further shrinking the possibility of a full hockey regular season. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Chris Young)

AP

The Board of Governors received a memo Wednesday night warning them that the CBA talks could break down today if there wasn’t any traction, tweeted former NHL GM and head coach and current Sportsnet analyst Doug MacLean.

Donald Fehr and Gary Bettman didn’t reveal too much after today’s meetings, but it looks like the NHLPA made two offers, the NHL responded, and the two sides will meet again Friday.

Based on that information, MacLean reached the conclusion that there was traction today.

“No major breakthroughs yet,” an NHL source told New York Times and Sports Business Journal writer Chris Botta, “but there are reasons to keep meeting. That’s the good news.”

At the end of the day, all this suggests that hope is still alive despite earlier concerns that the latest round of talks might not even survive the day. However, even that conclusion has to be taken with a grain of salt.

The decision to significantly limit the public’s exposure to the negotiations might be a positive and necessary move, but it also means that we might not be getting the full story. We’ll just have to wait and see what news tomorrow brings.

Related:

CBA talks end with both sides keeping quiet, will resume Friday

Bettman: “We have a lot of work to do and we’re working hard”

Donald Fehr talks about the silence