A day of talks between the NHL owners and players' association Friday brought hints of progress in ending the 10-day-old strike, although reports of a settlement were called "premature" by both sides.
With the rest of the regular season and the Stanley Cup playoffs in jeopardy, NHL President John Ziegler and union head Bob Goodenow met from 9 a.m. EDT to 3 p.m. EDT Friday and again in the evening.Legal counsels for both sides attended the sessions, along with NHL Players Association President Bryan Trottier of Pittsburgh and vice president Mike Gartner of the New York Rangers.
In between the meetings with the union, Ziegler briefed team owners in two conference calls.
Montreal radio station CKAC reported Friday afternoon 95 percent of the issues had been settled, and the end of the strike could be imminent. However, NHL spokesman Bill Wilkerson said the report was not accurate.
"There's no settlement at this time," Wilkerson said at a press briefing shortly after 8 p.m.
Individual players and owners were also reluctant to say the strike was about to end.
"There are six or seven concerns that haven't been addressed in six months, why should they be now?" said Toronto defenseman Ken Baumgartner, of the union's negotiating committee.
Minnesota North Stars vice president Pat Forciea called reports that the strike is over "a little premature." However, Forciea said a plan was being worked out by Ziegler and Goodenow and said it was "quite slim" that a settlement would not be reached.
If the strike is settled, the regular season is expected to resume Sunday. All the NHL teams have two or three games left, and there still are two playoff berths yet to be filled. The playoffs would begin April 18.
The teams would practice Saturday if the strike ended Friday night or early Saturday.
"The essential point is the practice (Saturday)," Wilkerson said. "The Sunday start-up allows you to enter into the playoffs with the competitive integrity of the regular season intact."