When the moment of truth arrived, the NHL and NHL Players' Association were nowhere near the bargaining table.
The sides remained so far apart in negotiations that no last-ditch attempt was even made before the league entered its fourth work stoppage in 20 years. Instead, the collective bargaining agreement quietly expired at midnight on Saturday and the NHL locked out its players.
"We spoke again today, and in light of the fact that neither party has indicated an intention to move off of its last proposal, we have decided that there is no point in convening a formal bargaining session," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told The Canadian Press in an email. "We will keep in close contact in the coming days and if anything changes, I am sure we will be in touch."
The lockout was a long time coming.
As far back as November, the NHL informed the union it would be unwilling to continue operating past the expiration of the current CBA. But there were no formal talks held in the final three days under the expiring agreement.
Steve Fehr, the NHLPA's special counsel, claimed the union requested a meeting before the "owners' self-imposed deadline" on Saturday but was rebuffed.
"[Executive director] Don Fehr, myself and several players on the negotiating committee were in [New York] and prepared to meet," he said in a statement.
"The NHL said that it saw no purpose in having a formal meeting. There have been and continue to be private, informal discussions between representatives of both sides."
The parties last sat down together on Wednesday afternoon, with each tabling a proposal, and commissioner Gary Bettman indicated he expects the next move to come from the union.
The impact of the work stoppage will be felt immediately. The first pre-season games are expected to be cancelled next week and the possibility of having the regular season start as scheduled on Oct. 11 will become less and less likely with each passing day.
