Gary Bettman says there’s “still a lot of work to do.”

Translation: Fehr still hasn’t agreed to get down on his knees and kiss my ring (or anything else I put in front of his face). I just don’t understand why he’s so reluctant to suck up to me…or, you know.

Posted by OlderThanChelios from Grand Rapids, MI on 11/09/12 at 12:29 AM ET

Yes, it’s an amazing surprise that the NHLPA would be willing to lose games rather than sign a deal, and it’s amazing that the NHL would be willing to lose games rather than play under an old deal.

Who could have ever possibly imagined such a thing would ever happen?

Posted by HockeyinHD on 11/09/12 at 07:09 AM ET

Yes, it’s an amazing surprise that the NHLPA would be willing to lose games rather than sign a deal based on austerity while the league brags about record revenue, and it’s amazing that the NHL would be willing to lose games rather than play under an old deal that until July was the contract they often cited as having justified the last lockout and created such a healthy marketplace for the sport.

Fixed it for ya. This is the fruit borne by the league talking out of both sides of its mouth and then being anything BUT transparent with their finances.

Posted by redxblack from Akron Ohio on 11/09/12 at 11:33 AM ET

I’m just glad it seems like they are talking to each other instead of to the media. Winning the PR war was just a distraction, noone should believe either side. Let them both sit down and work this thing out because in the end they will both being sharing in a boatload of revenue. 

I am not so optimistic that we won’t see this break down again, but that is part of the process. At least it looks like each side is, for the first time, taking proposals from both sides for discussion and not insisting on pre-conditions or take it or leave it offers. Get the threats out of the way and negotiate, neither side is going to be bullied into anything less than something that both sides initially dislike anyway.

Posted by hockey1919 from mid-atlantic on 11/09/12 at 12:10 PM ET