from Larry Brooks of the NY Post,

Madison Square Garden CEO James Dolan is willing to join talks with NHL players in an effort to end the lockout that threatens the 2012-13 season in its entirety, a source close to the Rangers’ governor told The Post yesterday.

We are told Dolan, who was a primary figure on the NBA owners’ negotiating committee last year, signaled his desire to become involved in the NHL stalemate upon Gary Bettman’s suggestion it might prove beneficial for owners to converse directly with the players without the presence of league or union staff.

It is unknown whether the Garden CEO has officially volunteered his services to Bettman, with whom he has had essentially no personal relationship dating back to at least 2007 when the Garden urged the commissioner be ousted in conjunction with filing suit against the NHL in a dispute concerning website, digital rights, licensing and team merchandise control.

The source familiar with Dolan’s thinking told The Post Dolan believes his relationship with the commissioner is immaterial given his substantial role in brokering an agreement between NBA owners and NBA players that ended that league’s 2011-12 lockout last Dec. 8 and allowed for a 66-game season to commence on Christmas Day.

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