Negotiations toward establishing a new Collective Bargaining Agreement resumed Friday, one week after talks between the National Hockey League and National Hockey League Players Association stalled.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly met at the League’s office with NHLPA Executive Director Donald Fehr and Special Counsel Steve Fehr for a little more than two hours in discussions believed to be centered around restarting the negotiation process.

Neither Commissioner Bettman nor Donald Fehr characterized the meeting or revealed what was discussed, but both said the sides plan to continue talking.

Commissioner Bettman said the dialogue has not stopped and the lines of communication remain open despite the fact the sides have not had a formal negotiating session in a week.

“We’d like to make a deal,” Commissioner Bettman said. “I know it’s difficult when every breath we take is being chronicled, but there is an ebb and a flow to collective bargaining negotiations and sometimes it makes sense to get together, and sometimes it makes sense to take a deep breath.”

Donald Fehr said the sides had been talking about how and when to get back together for the past couple of days. It was decided Thursday that they would meet Friday.

“To try and find a way to bridge the gaps,” Fehr said, outlining the purpose of Friday’s meeting. “That’s always the intent, but it certainly was Friday.”

Both sides said it is likely another meeting will occur soon, perhaps as early as later Friday.

“We anticipate getting back together again,” Commissioner Bettman said.


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