It is likely CBA talks between NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and NHLPA Exec Dir Donald Fehr "will not start until after the season is over," according to the Calgary Sun's Eric Francis. Fehr "very much wants his players to get fully engaged in this process, and obviously they can't do that if they’re playing hockey games. Second of all -- and the NHL would probably agree with this -- they don't want to take the focus off the games themselves.” When the season is over, the sides agree they will get together. Francis: "That still gives them plenty of time to get this thing done.” Meanwhile, Fehr “wants to bolster his negotiating committee ... tremendously” by adding seven or eight more players. The CBC’s Mike Milbury asked, “You think that's going to make a difference, Eric, eight more guys in this process? It’s going to come down to Gary Bettman and … Donald Fehr." Milbury: "As long as they can stay away from ‘who has the larger manhood,’ I think we should be okay. We’re talking about big dollars here already going to the players. The owners are doing well. They’ve hammered the guys into submission. You know what I don’t want to see: Any kind of work stoppage that impinges on the game." Milbury said in the negotiations “be honest, stop with the gamesmanship and start having some sort of a meaningful partnership" ("HNIC," CBC, 3/10).
