Another NHL lockout is beginning to feel linevitable.
Unable to move beyond the philosophical stage of talks, owners and players have watched another week slip by without progress. They sat together for a quick session Thursday morning before reporting the same significant gap that has existed all along.
The main issue that divides them is far from complex.
"We believe we're paying out more than we should be," said commissioner Gary Bettman. "It's as simple as that."
Of course, the NHL Players' Association doesn't quite see it that way.
Executive director Donald Fehr has acknowledged there's room for flexibility in that area - last week's proposal included three years with a slightly lower share in revenues for the players - but he hasn't come to the table in a conciliatory mood after taking over a union that capitulated during the last round of negotiations.
"Everybody understands that employers would always like to pay less," said Fehr. "That's not a surprise to anybody - it's disappointing sometimes - but it's not a surprise."
He went on to add that the services his constituents provide are irreplaceable.
"From the players' standpoint, they want a fair agreement, they want one that is equitable, they want one that recognizes their contribution," said Fehr.
With both sides so entrenched, real negotiations have yet to begin even though the Sept. 15 deadline for a lockout is fast approaching.
The parties attempted to make some progress Wednesday by clearing the meeting room of everyone but the key figures: Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly along with Fehr and his brother Steve Fehr, the union's No. 2 man. They soon discovered there was little common ground.
Those same four men will reopen talks next Tuesday in New York during what promises to be a key negotiation session.
The sides have tentatively blocked off the rest of the week for meetings as well, but they must first determine if there's anything worth talking about.
A league that lost the entire 2004-05 season to a lockout is in real danger of having the start of another one disrupted for the same reason. The current collective agreement has seen the NHL grow from a $2.1-billion industry to one that pulls in $3.3-billion annually.
