The lockout reached its 81st day Wednesday. The main issues are how to split revenue and issues surrounding how player contracts are set up. The league had more than $3 billion in the 2011-12 season, but an analysis by Forbes magazine recently showed a major gap between profitable teams and those that operate in the red.
‘‘We had a long day,’’ Steve Fehr said Tuesday. ‘‘We thought it was a constructive day. We had a good dialogue. In some ways I'd say it might be the best day we've had, which isn’t too overly optimistic of a picture. There is still a lot of work to do and a lot to be done.’’
Daly echoed Fehr’s comments, and spoke well of the talks.
‘‘I appreciate the efforts of the players,’’ Daly said. ‘‘Everybody is working hard. I think everybody wants to get a deal done, so that’s encouraging. We look forward to hopefully making more progress.’’
That was the extent of the details revealed by the two sides, which could be another good sign that neither group wanted to say anything that could throw the discussions off the rails.
All games through Dec. 14, along with the New Year’s Day Winter Classic and the All-Star game, have been wiped off the schedule.
