NHL talks near tipping point

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Talks are reaching a tipping point in the NHL lockout.

NHLPA Executive Director Donald Fehr said, “It's sort of like, if you have a river to cross, you've either got to build a bridge, or you've got to so something else, if you're going to cross the river.”

There appears to be more optimism than earlier in the negotiations, but both sides admit there are still some big issues to work through. A positive note from Wednesday’s many meetings between the two sides was the inclusion of a federal mediator.

Another issue that is giving people hope for progress in negotiations was the NHLPA’s midnight deadline to use a disclaimer to dissolve the union, a move that most feel would be a sure end to a hockey season this year. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman explained that the players did not invoke the disclaimer.

Bettman said, “I know there's been a lot of confusion about disclaimer, it's not that it gets filed with a court or the NLRB, when you disclaim interest as a union, you notify the other side.  We have not been notified, and as I said it's never been discussed, so there is no disclaimer.”

The federal mediator asked the two sides to continue meeting again Thursday at 10 a.m. Gary Bettman has previously stated that a deal needs to be in place by January 11th to save the season.