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NHL, NHLPA Can’t Make Much Ground With Mediators, Might Look at Other Ways to Make Progress

The NHL and NHLPA met on Wednesday and again on Thursday, but this time with federal mediators in an attempt to use a third party to alleviate the differences to end the ongoing feud between the players and owners.

After two days of meeting with representatives from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly left Thursday’s meetings with no sense of positive direction being gained as a result of mediation.

In a statement released following Thursday’s meetings, Daly said, “After spending several hours with both sides over two days, the presiding mediators concluded that the parties remained far apart, and that no progress toward a resolution could be made through further mediation at this point in time.

“We are disappointed that the mediation process was not successful.”

The league has cancelled all games through Dec. 15, along with the Winter Classic and All-Star Game, that were scheduled to be held in Ann Arbor, Mich., and Columbus, Ohio, respectively.

Darren Dreger of TSN reports that commissioner Gary Bettman has proposed a meeting between players and owners only for the next talks, without the league or union heads in attendance.

Bettman proposed to Fehr and PA an owner-payer mtng only. No NHL or NHLPA brass. Fehr and PA are believed to be considering.

—
Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) November 29, 2012

Those talks have yet to be scheduled, with both sides considering their options at this point.