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Players request meeting with owners; Daly: “Not sure what we would be meeting about”

Donald Fehr: Sidney Crosby

NHL Players’ Association executive director Donald Fehr, center, glances at his notes as he stands in front of players, including Pittsburgh Penguins’ Sidney Crosby, second from left, following collective bargaining talks in Toronto, Thursday, Oct. 18, 2012. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman received three counterproposals from the players’ association on Thursday and left the negotiating table “thoroughly disappointed,” further shrinking the possibility of a full hockey regular season. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Chris Young)

AP

After hearing all day about how no talks had been scheduled between the players and owners, the NHLPA pulled a late surprise tonight.

After convening an executive board call, the NHLPA has requested to meet with the NHL tomorrow. The hang-up on all this? The NHL may not want to meet.

NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly tells Renaud Lavoie of RDS that he’s skeptical of why exactly the players’ association wants to meet.

“They suggested they were willing to meet. But they also told us they weren’t interested in the proposal made last Tuesday and that they weren’t prepared to make their own proposal. Not sure what we would be meeting about.”

That’s less-than positive talk from the league.

Perhaps the players’ union has softened its stance on the NHL’s offer and wants to tweak some things. Perhaps this is just more PR angling to try and show the fans who’s trying to do work. Either way, talking would seem to be better than not talking at this juncture but hey, I’m no labor expert.

Update:NHLPA special counsel Steve Fehr had this to say about Daly’s statement:

“The league is apparently unwilling to meet. That is unfortunate as it is hard to make progress without talking.”

Indeed.