The word that came out of today’s NHL Board of Governors meeting is that optimism is overblown for a quick end to Owners’ Lockout III.
One of the hard-liners insisted there has been no moderation in the league’s demands, and indicated that hope raised by Tuesday’s owners/players meeting was irrational exuberance.
Governors were reluctant to comment on their Midtown meeting Wednesday, fearing hefty league fines, and while most maintained a generally sunny outlook, it is believed that the 10 hours of talk Tuesday did not deal in specifics on the key issue of the split of revenue.
The group of 18 players and six owners were scheduled to meet this morning before the governors’ meeting, but that meeting was postponed until after the governors’ meeting to avoid interruption.
The players are said to have been concerned that the progress from Tuesday night’s meeting was being so overstated that they feared being hurried by the start of the governors’ meeting.
“We are pleased with the progress that is ongoing and out of respect for the process, we are not answering questions,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said after the governors’ meeting.
Bettman and union head Donald Fehr did not participate in Tuesday’s talks, nor were they part of the session that resumed this afternoon following the governors’ meeting.