Donald Fehr maintains a deal was close with the NHL to end the four-month lockout and kick-start the hockey season before talks broke off.
The NHL Players' Association executive director stuck by his previous remarks that an agreement appeared to be within reach Thursday night when the league told the union it was rejecting the players' proposal and pulling its own offer.
"My comments from a couple of days ago stand on their own. I think we were very close," Fehr told reporters Saturday.
Fehr's comments run contrary to those of NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, who said angrily Thursday he didn't think the owners and players were close to a deal.
Fehr said he has not spoken directly with Bettman or deputy commissioner Bill Daly since talks crumbled, adding there has been some minor chatter, but no future meetings have been scheduled.
"So far, they have not indicated a willingness to continue discussions," Fehr said.
He also declined to comment on previous remarks by Bettman questioning Fehr's motives for saying a deal was close, adding only he was disappointed with how things turned out.
"I'm always disappointed when you're involved in a process and people want to call a halt to it," Fehr said.
"You can't make agreements if you're not talking."
The lockout has resulted in the cancellation of 422 regular-season NHL games through Dec. 14. Bettman indicated the league would not consider a schedule of fewer than 48 games - the same it had after the 1994-95 lockout - which leaves about a month to reach a deal.
