THUNDER BAY – Talks between the NHL owners and players have broken down again. Over the past two days the two sides were in mediation as they sought to come to an agreement. Those efforts have failed. For hockey fans in Thunder Bay the excitement of hockey is left to the SIJHL Thunder Bay North Stars and the Lakehead University Thunderwolves. Tonight the North Stars take to the Fort William Gardens ice at 7:30PM tonight.
The second session of meetings between the owners and players finished late Thursday afternoon. No further meetings with the mediators are planned, according to NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly. “Today, we concluded two days of mediation with FMCS mediators and representatives of the NHL Players’ Association,” Daly said in a statement. “After spending several hours with both sides over two days, the presiding mediators concluded that the parties remained far apart, and that no progress toward a resolution could be made through further mediation at this point in time. We are disappointed that the mediation process was not successful.”
Donald Fehr, Executive Director of the NHLPA, said, “Today, players and NHLPA staff, along with representatives of the League, concluded a second day of mediation under the auspices of the FMCS. This afternoon, the mediators informed the parties that they did not think it was productive to continue the discussions further today. The mediators indicated that they would stay in contact with the League and the NHLPA, and would call the parties back together when they thought the time was right.”