Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews was one of the 18 players to sit in on the NHL Players' Association's collective bargaining meeting with the NHL on Thursday in Toronto.
Two days after the NHL offered a proposal touting a 50/50 split and no rollback, the NHLPA, as expected, countered, but with three different proposals. The NHL, represented by commissioner Gary Bettman, rejected all four of their offers.
It's clear that each side wants to use their proposals as a basis for negotiations. And it's clear that each side is working from completely different philosophies.
In other words, there is no end in sight for the NHL's second lockout in eight years. More game cancellations are expected soon.
Here's what Toews said via text message from Toronto:
"As players, we know we tabled a great deal today. Our biggest concern is obviously that our current contracts continue to be honored as we progressively make our way to a 50/50 split between the league and the players. Our proposal today included that, and it's funny how the league claims to negotiate in good faith when they wait this long to give us their so-called 'best deal possible'. They have locked us out to the point where an 82-game schedule may be on the line and they're still unwilling to come to the table and really talk."
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