from Elliotte Friedman of CBC,

-It's good news that each negotiating day is a long one. But that doesn't mean the NHL and NHLPA spend all that time face-to-face. There are exchanges of proposals, then caucus retreats in which each side pours over the numbers and prepare counters. But the commitment is there to do it nearby.

-As several reporters have already told you, wide gaps remain. We'll get a better idea over the next few days. But it sounds like if there was any progress, it's in revenue sharing. There remain large differences in contracting issues and the split of hockey-related revenue.

-The main difference in the HRR partnership is that the players continue to ask for a greater percentage should higher targets be achieved. To give you a basic idea of what this means, the NHLPA is agreeing to move to a 50/50 split yet wants to be rewarded if growth exceeds a certain percentage. Last season, revenues were up 10 per cent and one would guess the number is not that high, but not too far away.

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