More Games On the Chopping Block With No Meetings Planned

Day 85 of the NHL lockout came and went on Sunday with very little to report in terms of progress between the NHL and NHLPA.  After what was a mix of emotions last week that had hockey fans on the edge of their seat when Donald Fehr announced that a deal was close, only to have those emotions come crashing down when the league rejected the player’s offer, the lockout continues on with no end in sight.

Steve Fehr and Bill Daly did speak over the weekend via phone, but as of now, no new meetings are scheduled.  And now the league is on the verge of cancelling more regular season games, further depleting what’s left of an already battered and abused regular season.  At best, should the lockout be lifted and play resume sometime this month, the league may still be able to get in a 50-game schedule, but no one is holding out hope at this point, especially when no meetings are planned.

There is no word yet on how many games will be cancelled, but with the league already wiping off all games up until December, it’s possible that all games through Christmas could be gone.

Bill Daly was the voice of destruction on Thursday when he left a voicemail for the player’s association stating the league had rejected their latest offer and had since pulled the league’s latest offer from the table.  They also claim this was their final offer, something we have heard twice before so perhaps in the art of negotiation the league may not be finished just yet.

But it appears the player’s will need to be the instigators of any meetings going forward, at least that’s how Daly sees it.

According to TSN.ca, Daly emailed the Associated Press on Friday night and stated the following:

"“I have no reason, nor any intention, of reaching out to the union right now. I have no new ideas. Maybe they do. We are happy to listen.”"

A hard, cold statement that reiterates this lockout is far from over and our best hope is to somehow get hockey back by the new year.  Even that will take one of the sides stepping up and getting the ball rolling again and at  this point it even the player’s appear ready to bunker down into a holding pattern.

"“It’s up to them, they’re the ones who called a halt to the process” said Fehr, courtesy of TSN.ca."

Not exactly the type of response from either side but at this stage of the game, no one should be surprised.

There is talk of the player’s union decertifying, but as of now it’s merely rumors and speculation.  Should those rumors pick up and turn into legitimate threats or possibilities we’ll have it covered for you here at Gone Puck Wild.

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