Parties in the dispute between shipping companies and dock workers at ports along the East Coast have agreed to extend their collective bargaining agreement for 90 days.
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.
NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly says the owners and players are both to blame for their failure to reach a new collective bargaining agreement before the Saturday deadline for a work stoppage.