Is today the moment when progress finally is made in the NHL lockout? Or will the players association simply call a public-relations bluff by the owners as the lockout drags on past this 80th day?
Whatever turns out to be the case, a group of players was scheduled to meet with six club owners in New York today hoping to jump-start the stagnated talks that proved impervious to federal mediation last week.
I d like to be optimistic, but with what s gone on over the last six months it s hard to be, a union source said yesterday.
The meeting sprang out of an offer from NHL commissioner Gary Bettman to the union to get a group of owners and a group of players into a room together without league or union representatives. After some wrangling over the parameters of the meeting, the union agreed to the sitdown. Neither Bettman nor NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr will attend. However, there will be staff from both sides in the room. Deputy commissioner Bill Daly will accompany the owners while the players association is still deciding who will attend.
I guess we ll see what happens. They have to try something different, don t they? said one agent. One thing I d like to know is if the league plans to offer anything new. They re the ones who called for the meeting, so you d think they d have something new. But I don t think that s going to happen.
There will be new faces involved on the ownership side, though [ ] owner Jeremy Jacobs, who has come to represent the hardliners among the owners, will remain involved as he has been from the start. Same for Calgary s Murray Edwards. Both Edwards and Jacobs are on the league s negotiating committee.
Pittsburgh s Ron Burkle, Winnipeg s Mark Chipman, Tampa Bay s Jeff Vinik and Toronto s Larry Tanenbaum are the newcomers to the process.
I think it will be good to have guys like (Burkle and Chipman) involved in the process, guys who (are) around their players on a more regular basis, said one union source.
Burkle reportedly has a strong relationship with his young star Sidney Crosby, who will be in New York today , as will Blackhawks star Jonathan Toews.
The players association will huddle to decide which players will attend the meeting with the owners. It s not clear if any Bruins players will be involved.
Meanwhile, all the owners will meet for the annual Board of Governors meeting tomorrow in New York. If a change in direction by the owners materializes, chances are it happens then. The owners will at least have different input from Burkle, Chipman, Tanenbaum and Vinik.
Bruins notes
Three Bruins prospects were among the 37 players chosen for Canada s world junior championship selection camp yesterday. It was no surprise Niagara defensemanDougie Hamilton, the B s top prospect and a returnee from last year s Canadian WJC team, and Belleville goalieMalcolm Subban, the team s first-round pick last June, were invited. But it was a nice feather in the cap for Barrie Colts forwardAnthony Camarato get the call.
Camara, selected in the third round of the 2011 NHL draft, has had a breakout season for Barrie on a line with highly talented Winnipeg prospectMark Scheifele. Camara has 19-15-34 totals and leads the team in penalty minutes with 39 in 28 games. . . .
Daniel Paille made it an even dozen Bruins playing in Europe during the lockout. Paille, who also happens to be the Bruins player representative, signed with Ilves Tampere of the Finnish SM-liga over the weekend.Rich Peverleyis also playing in SM-liga, for the JYP club. . . .
Meanwhile, goalieTuukka Raskhas returned to Boston after playing well for Plzen of the Czech league.
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