Players and Owners Exchange Offers as NHL Talks Resume

The NHL made a counterproposal to an offer presented by the players' association and said it would be in effect only until the weekend when the current collective bargaining agreement expires.

The players union made its presentation on Wednesday morning, but that was quickly dismissed by Commissioner Gary Bettman, who said it wasn't much different than earlier offers.

Bettman then met with Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs, and Murray Edwards of the Calgary Flames, and a new NHL offer was handed back to the players' association with a ticking clock attached to it.

"We made clear in presenting the proposal that this proposal was intended to lead to a deal before the weekend," Bettman said after the nearly three-hour meeting, "and that if in fact a deal was not achievable, what we had proposed would be off the table. We were quite clear on that."
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)