The NHL and the players’ association are ready to get back to the bargaining table in New York.
There were no formal negotiations Sunday, but all signs pointed to talks today in an effort to end the lockout and save the season.
“There will be no further face-to-face meetings today,” the union said in a statement Sunday. “The plan is for the sides to meet tomorrow.”
Those would be the first negotiations since the sides met with a federal mediator Dec. 13.
The league and the union had informational discussions — by conference call and in meetings — with staff members that lasted much of Saturday and concluded Sunday. Those talks were spurred by the nearly 300-page contract proposal the NHL presented to the union Thursday.
All games through Jan. 14 have been canceled, claiming more than 50 percent of the original schedule. The NHL wants to reach a deal by Jan. 11 and open the season Jan. 19, with a 48-game schedule.
Bargaining sessions with only the NHL and union haven’t been held since Dec. 6, when talks abruptly ended after the players’ association made a counterproposal to the league’s previous offer.
