Federal Mediators Now Presiding Over NHL Labor Talks

Federal Mediation & Conciliation Service Dir George Cohen today in a statement said NHL-NHLPA negotiations on a new CBA "will now be conducted under our auspices." Cohen said that the move comes "at the invitation of the FMCS, and with the agreement of both parties." FMCS Deputy Dir Scot Beckenbaugh, Mediation Services Dir John Sweeney and Commissioner Guy Serota will serve as mediators. 

The statement reads in part, “Due to the extreme sensitivity of these negotiations and consistent with the FMCS’s long-standing practice, the Agency will refrain from any public comment concerning the future schedule and/or the status of the negotiations until further notice” (FMCS).