The optimism about resolving the NHL labor dispute that emanated from Chicago in the middle of last week has all but died.þþThe president of the NHL Players' Association now is informing players that the lockout might extend well into next season, according to the Hockey News.þþThe report said union President Trevor Linden had posted an audio message on the NHLPA's Web site that he saw no basis for more meetings with the league.þþAccording to the Hockey News, a player who heard Linden's message on the Web site said: ÿNothing new. Nothing's changed. It was just made crystal clear, I guess.ÿþþAnother source said, ÿIt's done, it's over is basically what Trevor was saying.ÿþþAt a press conference Friday in Toronto, Linden said: ÿThere is no middle ground. There is a real lack of compromise, and that's a problem.ÿþþBill Daly, the NHL's executive vice president who attended discussions Wednesday in Chicago and Thursday in Toronto, said Friday: ÿIt is unfortunate if that's what Trevor took from our two days of meetings. We certainly viewed them as far more constructive. I don't believe the time is right to ratchet up the rhetoric.ÿþþLinden said it was up to Commissioner Gary Bettman to terminate the season. Jim Devellano, a senior vice president of the Detroit Red Wings, said he thought the season was done.þþUnion Vice President Vincent Damphousse told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. the owners' ÿstrategy is to break the will of the union and impose a salary cap. I think the season is done. I'm convinced there won't even be a training camp next year.ÿþþThe players have offered a 24 percent rollback in wages and other concessions. But they say the will not agree to a fixed link between revenue and wages, which the league calls ÿcost certainty.ÿþþOne consequence of the league's hard-line stance, Linden said, would be that young up-and-coming teams such as Tampa Bay and San Jose wouldn't be able to stay together. He warned the players that any future offer from the league that included a hard cap would be strictly a public relations move and would be rejected by the union executive.þþFurthermore, Linden said he was insulted when told during the talks that players would have no more say in how the NHL is run than autoworkers have say over how an auto company is run.þþAs of Saturday, 676 of the NHL's 1,230 scheduled regular-season games have been canceled. No major sports league has ever missed an entire season because of a labor dispute.þþþ
Source: Chicago Tribune
