NHL sides agree to start negotiating

NEW YORK -- The NHL Players Association accepted an invitation from the league to return to the bargaining table this week.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman contacted union executive director Bob Goodenow late last week to request the resumption of talks, and the Players Association agreed to get together, NHL chief legal officer Bill Daly said in an e-mail yesterday.

A meeting was scheduled for this week, but the date, time, and location were not announced.

It will be the first bargaining session since Feb. 19, when the sides met in a desperate attempt to save the season three days after Bettman canceled it. But even the presence of Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux wasn't enough to get owners and players to reach an agreement.

Bettman and Goodenow will take part in this week's meeting after both sat out the last session. They left the bulk of those negotiations to Daly and union senior director Ted Saskin, who are also expected to be in attendance.

Last week, the NHL Board of Governors met in New York on the same day more than 150 players got an update from union leadership in Toronto.

Bettman said the board discussed many ways to get next season started on time in October, and didn't rule out the use of replacement players. He said that wasn't a choice he wanted to make but added that the league is committed to having a full season that isn't delayed.

"We haven't decided exactly what options we would or would not pursue in the event we don't have a deal," Bettman said last week. "The option we're pursuing most fervently is to make a deal with the union.

"I believe it's in everybody's interest to make a deal as soon as possible."

The board even entertained a $3.5 billion offer last week from an investment firm and a sports advisory company to buy all 30 teams and take control of the league. That doesn't seem to be a realistic possibility as several clubs already said they aren't interested in selling.

When players emerged from their meeting with union leadership March 1, they were more inclined to let time pass before re-engaging in talks. Players have already lost a full season's salary and aren't due to be paid again until October. "It's important for both sides to take a little time to reassess," said Players Association president Trevor Linden of the Vancouver Canucks. "The process at this point hasn't worked, and we'll step back and have a look back at how we can move this thing forward."