The NHL and NHLPA have "scheduled another round of labor talks next week after concluding two days of negotiations in Toronto" yesterday, as there "remains a sense of urgency in reaching an agreement to extend" the current CBA through either '25 or '26, according to John Wawrow of the AP. NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly in an email wrote that he "wasn't prepared to comment on what was discussed and whether the additional meetings reflect any signs of progress being made." Wawrow noted one of the "more pressing issues" is whether the NHL "elects to send players to compete" in the '22 Beijing Games after not participating in the '18 Pyeongchang Games. But a source said that the '22 Games were "not discussed this week, and not expected to be brought up in talks next week" (AP, 2/12).
GOING ABROAD: SPORTSNET.ca's Elliotte Friedman cited sources as saying that the IOC and IIHF "made clear" to the NHL that there was a "commitment to coverage of charters, hosting, hotels, etc." should the league allow its players to participate in '22. Friedman reported there were also "opportunities presented for use of the Beijing Olympic logo and event highlights across NHL/NHLPA platforms, a breakthrough" both parties wanted. The proposals "came as a surprise, since, as recently as October, the IOC/IIHF weren't indicating this level of co-operation." Friedman wondered, "What changed things? ... There are lots of theories, from the IOC feeling the hockey tournament isn't as good to Olympic/NHL rightsholder NBC demanding it to China itself being determined to put on the best show to improve its international reputation." Whatever the case, with "compromise imminent, the NHL shifted the focus, moving from costs and marketing to labour." That "irritated the players, especially since the current CBA is now locked in" until at least Sept. 15, 2022, almost seven months after the Beijing Games conclude (SPORTSNET.ca, 2/12).
CONVENIENT EXCUSE? ESPN's Emily Kaplan said the NHL is "really on the clock right now, because this is everybody else calling out their bluff." The league has "used it as a convenient excuse that, 'Hey, we're not getting any marketing out of it. They're not making it easy for travel, insurance, all these things just don't make sense for us to go.'" Kaplan: "(With) the IOC taking all of those things off the table, they're like, 'Okay, what's holding you back?'" Now, the NHL "really has to admit that this was a convenient excuse." They "just didn't want to go because they don't think it makes money for them" ("ESPN on Ice," 2/11).
