from the CP via TSN,

"It's a proposal that we intend to respond to," said Fehr. "I'll leave it at that."

The current collective agreement expires Sept. 15 and the NHL has it will lock the players out if a new deal isn't reached by then.

Fehr and top assistant Steve Fehr met with commissioner Gary Bettman and deputy Bill Daly on Tuesday morning at the NHL's offices in New York.

The Fehr brothers left the morning session to consult with their constituents, but returned four hours later with players Mathieu Darche, Ron Hainsey and Douglas Murray.

The afternoon session ended in under an hour, with both sides agreeing to meet again after the players' association thoroughly reviewed the new proposal.

"I'm encouraged that we're talking, to be honest with you," said Darche, who added that it's obvious the league took time to come up with the new proposal.

"We believe that we made a significant, meaningful step," said Bettman after the second session.

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